


Walking the Tightrope

by LucreziaDormentaire



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Arranged Marriage, Dark Past, Domestic Fluff, Domestic smut, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Torture, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Verse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-22 13:43:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13765374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucreziaDormentaire/pseuds/LucreziaDormentaire
Summary: Lance, the second son of Senator McClain, is the only omega in his family. During the fall of his 23rd year, he is wed to an alpha he'd only met twice. With his family's reputation on the line, Lance pushes himself to make it work. And honestly? Shiro doesn't seem too bad...





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is an omegaverse fic, so the rating will go up eventually???

The ballroom was too big for what it seemed like a private party.

 _Just a small celebration_ , his father had said. _Close relatives only_ , he'd said. But Lance had spent the whole evening shaking the hands of people he didn’t even know while carrying around a glass of champagne he could barely drink. His right hand was clammy with sweat at this point – and the too bright lightning hanging low above his head certainly didn’t help either. It was when his cheeks started to ache while trying to maintain his strained smile that he excused himself from the crowd.

“At least you could pretend like you’re enjoying this.” Lucy said, appearing next to him with a skeptical frown. “Daunting conglomerate family at six o’clock – no, don’t look, idiot.” Lucy, Lance’s younger sister grabbed his wrist with a sour expression as he moved to turn around.

“Of course I’m enjoying this! I mean, I’m getting married before I turn 25, and I’m wearing Salvatore Ferragamo!” Lance said, feeling the eyes of the Shirogane’s family members boring hole into his back.

“Uh-huh.” Lucy tilted her head in disbelief, the strands of her short brown hair brushing against her bare shoulder as she did so. “You gonna drink that?” She nodded her head at the drink in his hand, still left untouched since an hour ago.

Lance shook his head. She finished the champagne in one go. There was a brief silence as she wiped her mouth with the back of his hand and shift her eyes away from her brother. “Sorry. About this.” She said.

Lance stared blankly at her, failing to grasp what she was implying. “What? There’s still a lot of drinks – “

“About this!” she repeated, louder this time, gesturing wildly at the crowd behind her; the rather grand ballroom and the red carpet dividing the room in two. “You know!”

“Ohhh.” Lance replied casually, breaking into a grin. “Why are you apologizing? The least you can do is be happy for your older brother! C’mere you,” he scooped her up and pull her into a tight embrace, nuzzling against her neck. She smelled sweet and homey, and Lance was going to miss her already. “Thanks. I love you, Luciana.”

“ _Yo también_.” Came the whispered reply.

Lance had just come to accept that his life would be nothing special when all of these began to happen. He wasn't shocked per se, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that his family would do something like this. Something as in, kicking him out of the house, in the most placid way as possible. Growing up in a world of vicious ambition and its thirst for power, Lance understood perfectly his role as an omega – he was unwanted. He was the child his father shielded from the world, the scrawny boy veiled from the media. His achievements were nothing he could be proud of and he went into constant heats; spreading disorder in his very own house.

When he was eighteen and his father was voted to be the Senator, he told his mother that he decided he’d left home and not come back, so he could stop bringing more shame into his family. His mother, a sweet woman that she is, had cried that day. It came as a terrible shock for Lance, and he swore that since that day on, he would never worry his family like that ever again.

So hearing her sister apologize for his sake left a bitter taste in his mouth.

His fleeing thought came to a halt as he locked gaze with the man across the room – his _husband_ now – and he was watching him from where he was casually taking a sip of his drink. Lance swallowed, but his throat was dry. Takashi Shirogane was not only hot – boy was _on fire_. He walked like he knows exactly who he is and everywhere he goes everything about him screamed alpha. Lance, for the life of him, could not fathom to _why_ that flamin’ hot Takashi Shirogane agreed on this whole engagement. Lance flashed out a shy smile and he did too.

Standing right next to Shiro, the oldest of the Shirogane sibling whispered something to his brother while maintaining a condemning look at Lance. Suddenly the room was too hot and his shirt was too tight for his taste. He pulled on his collar.

“Tell mom I’m uh, gonna go get some fresh air,” Lance said to his sister, who didn’t seem to pay any attention to him anymore.

 

Lance opened the balcony doors, letting the cool air freshened up his mood. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he let out a loud, totally vulgar groan. He scurried around the balcony, occasionally peeking across the railing and contemplating on jumping. _Lance Charles McClain, youngest son of Senator Manfred McClain attempted to kill himself on his wedding day._ That’d make a good headline.

“At least,” Lance started, leaning against the railing. “Serve some whiskey! Stupid hotel.”

He turned around immediately when he heard a low chuckle behind him. Shiro closed the doors to the balcony with a quiet thud, an amused smile playing on his kissable lips. Lance graced him with wide eyes as he hurriedly fixed his collar and straightened his suit jacket.

“Overwhelmed?” Shiro asked, standing right next to Lance. With the presence of an Alpha near him, Lance’s whole body went rigid.

Lance pulled his lower lip in a way he knew he’d look adorable. “Honestly? It feels more like a business party than it is a wedding.” Shiro laughed at that, low and soothing, pulling a small smile on Lance’s lips. “I mean – you wanna hear my ideal wedding party?”

Shiro shrugged. His smile was too sweet for his own good. “Shoot.”

“Alright so, I’m talking cowboy themed party – decorate the ballroom like the cabin on that Quentin Tarantino’s movie and, oh, don’t forget the cheap alcohols!” Lance flailed his arms to emphasize.

Shiro’s smile widened. “Okay, but nobody’s drinking any cheap alcohol at _my_ wedding party.” He grinned. “And, what about _space_ theme?” Lance gasped in awe. They both burst out laughing at the same time.

"That's cool too!"

He’d only met Shiro twice, before the wedding. The first being the big engagement announcement with both of their families, and the second was a little more private, eye to eye; like a date. Both were incredibly awkward, and Lance was tethering on nervousness that he couldn’t stop babbling. His knowledge about Shiro was incredibly limited. Shiro was 29, and the youngest son of the CEO of the biggest Japanese trading company in the state. He had older brother and sister who were both married, and he visited the gym once a week. He liked Star Trek more than Star Wars (which was an abomination, Lance repeated thrice.) and anything related to Astrophysics. He worked in his father’s company, of course, and as far as Lance could tell, Shiro was too perfect of a person to be married to an omega like him.

“You’re not having a good time?” Shiro’s inquiry pulled him away from his wandering thoughts, and he shook his head too eagerly. He didn't even realize he was tapping his foot against the floor repeatedly.

“Uh, no it’s just that –“ he swallowed. “There’s just a lot of things. On my mind. You know.”

Shiro was silent, tilting his head to look at the evening sky. “Yeah, weddings tend to do that to people.”

They both stand there and stared at the sky like the stars could give them the answer to their unspoken questions. The muffled music from inside had ended and now it was someone talking – Lance didn’t even care to look. The silence stretched between them, wide and heavy. Lance thought about going back inside for a drink or two – but something on the tip of his tongue kept him in place.

“So,”

“So?”

 “I'm just wondering... If things were different and you weren’t the youngest son, and you could pick whoever you want to spend your life with, would you still pick me?”  _Because obviously, you deserve better._

Shiro smile disappeared. Suddenly Lance didn’t want to hear the answer – didn’t want to know the truth.

Without his smile, Shiro looked foreign like Lance didn’t even know who he was. _Because I don’t. I don’t know who he is, until like, a week ago._

Lance frowned. All of a sudden everything terrified him.

"Different?"

“You know what, that was stupid – forget about it.” he broke out into a nervous chuckle, waving his hand dismissively. "Yeah. That was weird. Sorry."

"Sorry?" Shiro looked confused. Lance mirrored his expression. “Lance, I – “

The sound of doors opening startled them both. They whipped their heads to the direction of the ballroom, where Lance’s mother was standing nervously by the door, a guilty look on her face like she’d just ruined a moment.

“I’m sorry, but the guests want to see the newlyweds?” She said with a wry grin. “Better not keep them waiting, yes?”

“Sí, mama. Coming.” Came Lance’s hurried answer. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to look too relieved as he dashed across the balcony, avoiding the piercing look his husband was giving him.

 

* * *

 

The light was too bright.

But he smiled anyway.

‘cause it was his specialty. Everyone loved his smile. He cracked a joke, and then everyone laughed. Didn’t know if it was genuine or not, though. Lance couldn’t care less. Their voices, the world, everything seemed so far away – like nothing was ever real.

His father clasped his shoulder and pulled him closer, and Lance could smell it on him – he was proud, _delighted,_ like Lance was the best son he’d ever have. Something warm swelled in his chest.

The people around him had a toast in his name, – and Shiro’s – kinda cool, actually. He could live with that. He lifted his glass too, grinning.

Lance McClain was 23 when he was engaged to a man he barely knew. Pure fucking business – he knew just how slick those politicians were. And being the only omega in an alpha household, it wasn’t as if he could do anything about it. Whatever, he’d make it work.

“Your things will be delivered to your new house right away,” he heard his mother said, but her voice was soooo distant. But she sounded happy, and it made him happy too.

In the middle of his daze, he took one last good look at Shiro, standing sharp in the middle of the blurry crowd. His husband now. His _Alpha_.

Yeah. _I’ll make this work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real fic starts at next chap, I just wanna write a glimpse of the wedding scene


	2. Chapter 2

Do you remember the feeling when you were a careless eight-year-old kid, riding the bike for the first time, relishing the freedom where your mother’s grasp was no longer supporting you? Remember that feeling of absolute freedom as you felt the wind in your hair and the smile growing on your face?

Remember getting too cocky with your footing as you tried to show off, and then ended up falling flat on the hard, unforgiving ground?

Lance never thought he would feel that way again as a grown-up, until now, sitting cross-legged in a car driven by the stranger that was now, his husband. Only now, it didn’t leave him with visible scars across his knee and elbow – but a stinging, hollow gap inside of his heart. Lance had always thought of himself as a rather adaptable person; that he could easily blend in with whatever situation is thrown at him. That was what he believed when he accepted the arrangement, after all. But now, stuck inside the small, enclosed space, with his soon-to-be alpha who he would spend the rest of his  _life_  with, he felt nothing but dread and hopelessness. He had hoped the ocean breeze-scented air freshener would be a consolation for the fact that he had nothing to expect out of his life anymore. Instead it grounded him, making him ache to be anywhere but here.

Lance stiffened as he heard Shiro sighed and reclined in his seat. He leaned his head against the window, trying to distance himself as far away as possible from the man and curled into a ball. He closed his weary eyes, ignoring the way his mind was still buzzing from the alcohol earlier, and pretended to be asleep.

Suddenly he was enveloped in silent, blissful darkness, with only the soft humming of the engine to remind him where he was.

 

Shiro parked his car and with a soft voice Lance could barely hear, announce that they’ve arrived. Lance only mumbled in reply; too groggy and emotionally numb to come up with anything coherent. He heard Shiro exited the driver’s seat and rounded the car to open up his door – an act Lance found ridiculous, but also pretty endearing. When Shiro offered him a hand, Lance’s mind awoke with a start.

_Oh yeah, shit, we’re a married couple now._

He accepted Shiro’s hand and stumbled out of the car – almost face-planting onto the ground. Shiro caught his waist just in time.

“Oh Jesus, just how much did I drink?” Lance groaned, slinging an arm over Shiro’s shoulder.

Shiro snorted quietly, “A lot, apparently.” And Lance raised his head to see that their faces were only inches apart. His nausea seemed to vanish instantly the moment their eyes hold. Shiro’s face was daintily chiseled and beautiful. He was no longer wearing the tight suit jacket and too-long slacks, instead he settled in a gray long-sleeved shirt and jeans that looked awfully comfortable. His eyes were as sharp as a finely polished blade; the bridge of his nose thin adorned with a long, age-worn scar that cut across it. Lance, from the first time he met Shiro, had never found the scar to be repelling; kinda have the opposite effect, actually. Shiro’s natural attractiveness left one feeling both lack and excess. He smelled so fucking  _good_  too.

“Oh my God, sorry.” Lance, suddenly feeling hyper-aware and self-conscious, used his other hand to push against the taller man’s chest and corrected his footing. From the corner of his eyes Lance spotted Shiro trying to regain his composure also.

“Yeah, uh, I’ll have the maids bring the rest of your stuff inside,” the older man said with a strained smile, brushing the white tuft of his hair with his fingers. “In the meantime, I’ll show you around the house.”

Lance nodded obediently, bringing his gaze to the building looming before him. It was Shiro’s house. Massive and sumptuous, like something out of Ikea’s catalog book, guarded by rows of shady trees. It was no bigger than the house where Lance used to live with his family, but it was a little too big for a bachelor who lived on its own.

Well. From now on this was his house too.

He walked along the pathway to the entrance, tracking the well-kept garden and small potted plants along the path as they disappeared when he stepped into the porch. The wide front doors were open and a short moment of distraction had left Lance wondering where Shiro had disappeared.

He squeezed his way through the doorway and stood blinking in the sudden glow of what it seemed like a high-ceilinged living room. When his eyes had adjusted, they land on the figure of a man standing right in front of a widespread staircase – Shiro – talking to someone dressed in black and white. There was a conveniently placed grand piano in the middle of the room, coated in dust in what Lance believed hadn’t been played for years. He made his way towards the piano, fingers brushing against the glossy surface. There was a piano too, back in his old house – but it was not meant for him. Nothing ever was.

One of the two doors on either side of the staircase led straight to the dining room, where a long dining table stretching from one corner to another was positioned. The huge windows surrounding the room showed the soft glow emitting from an outdoor swimming pool just across the lawn. He felt a smile growing on his lips at the sight. Just as he was about to slide open the door to the lawn, Shiro appeared right next to him, reaching for his elbows.

“Aren’t you tired?” Shiro asked, dark eyes full of concern. For some reasons a tiny part in the back of Lance’s mind refused to believe that it was genuine. “A lot happened today… and I know we’re both a nervous-wreck so why don’t we call it a night?”

Lance gaped at him – eyes wide as saucers. His muscles suddenly tensed, like he was ready to run anytime.  _Shit_. This is the part where Shiro would ask him to sleep with him, isn’t it? Lance couldn’t run away from this forever, they were officially married, for God’s sake. Of course Shiro would  _bed_  him. He was an alpha after all. It took a minute for Lance to realize that the mood in the room had soured and was too bleak for him to focus.

He didn’t even realize his own hands were shaking. To say that he was a nervous-wreck would be the understatement of the year.

“Lance…?” Shiro’s voice was thick with alarm.

Lance let out a tiny squeak as an answer and nodded.

 

Shiro led him upstairs to a well-lit hallway with lines of doors. They stopped in front of the biggest doorway, what Lance believed led to the main bedroom. He had been sweating profusely ever since Shiro talked to him in the dining room, and he knew Shiro could smell the anxiety on him.

“So this is my room,” Shiro said, turning around to face Lance, his movement stiff. “There are two vacant rooms at the end of the hall just right over there – “ he gestured to the end of the hall. “Your stuff is in the room by my right – “

“What?”

“…What?”

“What do you mean my stuff is… I’m sleeping  _alone_?” Lance knitted his brows together like he couldn’t believe the words leaving his own mouth. “What…?”

“Um. Yes?” Shiro looked confused, his eyes widened, his own brows high on his face.

“…Not with you?”

Shiro was, undoubtedly,  _blushing_  at this point. “H-huh? I mean – we – no…?”

Lance felt his own blush creeping on his face. “Oh my gosh. Right. Of course. Sorry.” He fanned his face with his hand, movement rigid and awkward as he tried to swallow the shame bubbling inside of his chest. He almost had a panic attack over  _nothing_. There was this mixed feeling of relief and disappointment settling somewhere inside of him.

Shiro cleared his throat. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just… I’m not going to make this uncomfortable for you. We can start slow.” He said gently, placing a hand – his charred hand; Lance had never got the chance to ask about what happened to it, but he will have his chance eventually – on Lance’s shoulder in a soothing motion. He smelled so calm and nurturing, so Lance let his body relax under the touch. “I’ll wait whenever you’re ready.”

“Yeah. Okay. Sorry, uh, about the weird question.” Lance bit his lower lips and grinned.

Shiro grinned back at him. “And, if you ever need anything, you’re free to drop by. I mean, you’re my…” Shiro blinked down at the floor before continuing sheepishly. “my husband, after all.”

Lance mirrored the shy expression, and the two of them stayed silent, both faces colored red in embarrassment.

“…Thanks.” Lance finally said, lifting his gaze. “For everything. See you in the morning?”

“See you.”

 

Lance passed a docile-looking maid on the way to his designated room who smelled of beta. Everything else went by in a blur that night. He found his clothes were already loaded to the huge wardrobe inside of the room and he fished out his favorite blue nightdress before falling face first onto the bed. He hugged a pillow close to his chest, tightly, and  _finally_  let himself cry. He thought about his Mom, his Dad, Tony, Miranda, Lucy, and little Jacob, and how his life would never be the same anymore. He thought about Allura and Nyma, and how he missed them both but too tired to check on his phone for the night.

He thought of the weight that sat between his fingers in a shape of a ring.

He thought about Shiro, strong, patient Shiro, who smelled of Jasmine and Peppermint and rosemary and how his scent left him almost addicted ( _damn_  stupid alphas).

After what it felt like two hours of pathetically sobbing into the mattress he dragged his hand across the bedding, feeling the unfamiliar touch of silk against his skin and let the sentiment lull him to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance barely slept. Even if he did, it was almost dawn. He woke up not because he wanted to, but because the universe told him to. With a groan he kicked off the offending blanket pooling at his feet, his robe soaked through with sweat. He’d forgotten to turn on the air conditioner that night and he hadn’t unpacked his daily skin care regimens, no doubt leaving his face greasy and slick.

He quickly slid on his favorite blue lion-themed slippers and padded towards the connected bathroom; the sight still too unfamiliar for his eyes. The cream-colored marble tiling, empty counters with nothing but a single bottle of used-shampoo, the small, almost unnoticeable crack in the ceiling – he took it all; committing them into his memory.

 _This is your life now, Lancey Lance._  Better get used to it.

The rim of his eyes was red and swollen from last night – he noticed with a frown. But nothing a quick cold shower couldn’t fix. He took his time showering, washing the grease away, and hopefully, his grief with it. He pointed his index finger at the reflection in the mirror, schooling his expression into a stern one.

“You can do this, Lance. …Even if you can’t, just, fucking, do this.”

It didn’t really help, but at least he looked almost presentable.

Lance heaved a deep sigh before exiting the room and making his way to the foyer. Even upon first light, the house was quiet – in contrast to Lance’s old house where his younger siblings tend to get extremely high-strung every morning. Lance found it both peaceful and also eerie. A hand unconsciously drifted down to fidget with the string of his sweatpants as he descended down the staircase. He was nervous, what would he say to Shiro? What if he could tell that Lance was weeping last night?

It was Monday, and Lance knew Shiro had work to do, but he hadn’t expected to see him already dressed up in a suit and dress pants, a suitcase in hand and phone in other. It was only seven twenty, last he checked. He felt thoroughly undressed, all of a sudden.

Their eyes met, Lance reflexively pulled his lips into a wide grin. “Mornin’! See you’re already all set for work?”

Shiro smiled in return. “Good morning, Lance. Did you sleep well?”

“Yep, slept like a log. You?” He lied.

Shiro paused before nodding. “I see, good to hear. Me too.” he lifted his left hand, checking his watch. “Well, I gotta go. Let the maids know if you ever need something.”

“What, no breakfast?”

“Uh, I usually eat in my car… so I won’t be late.” He replied, as if it was common knowledge.

“Oh,” Lance said, disappointed. He glanced at Shiro, then at the butler standing right next to him. They both looked like they had something to say but went against it. “Okay. Cool. See you then?”

“Don’t worry, we have the best Blueberry pancakes. Have a nice day, Lance.”

“Yeah, okay, buddy, you too.” Lance whispered, but Shiro was already on his way out. It took him awhile to realize he just called his husband  _buddy_. “What has my life come to?” he said resignedly at the butler, who only smiled at him in sympathy.

He sauntered to the dining room when he understood that there was nothing else he could do. His breakfast was already prepared at one end of the table, and  _fuck_  the table is  _long_. The room was also relatively quiet. He ate alone that day. Everything tasted dreadfully bland.

He figured, after what it felt like a solid 40 minute of staring blankly at the opposite wall like it’d offended him, that he was feeling a little lost on what to do. This was his house now, but he’d never felt this unwelcomed before in his entire life. His dad had said that it was unnecessary for him to continue working because Shiro got everything covered, and he wasn’t against the idea in the first place, but now he’d like to revoke the option.

A maid entered the room to clean up his leftover – a lean girl with honey-colored skin and long, dark curly hair.

“Um,” Lance spoke as she collected the dishes. “You wanna help me unpack?”

 

He spent his day unloading dozens of boxes just lying in his room waiting to be emptied. He smiled when he pulled out his favorite mug and the small stuffed lion he used to bring along to his college dorm. There were so many things that it took them almost half a day to completely empty every single box out. After that, he updated on Allura, Nyma and Lucy about his life, because they were the only people who seemed genuinely worried (and God bless them for that, Lance had never loved anyone as much as he loved his best friends and his little sister).

Right after lunch, he decided to explore the house some more and climbed onto the narrow staircase located at the end of the hallway, right next to his room. The staircase ends upon a single wooden door and as Lance pushed it open, it revealed a bright, spacy room, almost twice as big as his chamber. The wall surrounding him was made of windows, screened with nothing but thin, white curtains. There were rows of bookshelves high as the ceiling right before the wide wooden table what looked like Shiro’s work desk. Lance crept deeper into the room, taking note of the cozy-looking loveseat at the center of the room across a wall-mounted wide screen tv.

Somehow that was where he imagined having a movie night curled up against Shiro.

He left the room a blushing mess. He blamed it on how the room smelled awfully of Shiro.

It was a little after six when the same maid announced that dinner is ready, but Shiro had yet to come home. He decided to wait for him to come back.

It was eight thirty and Lance was certain that Shiro wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon that he’d decided to just  _fuck it_. His stomach was complaining and the occasional churn of anxiety didn’t really help. It was the third meal he’d eaten alone that day.

Shiro arrived around ten-ish, Lance could tell just from the footsteps echoing around the noiseless hall. He jolted upright and dashed in the direction of the door like a man on a mission, startling Shiro who watched him like a deer caught in headlights.

“Oh,” Shiro breathed, one hand hanging awkwardly in the air, reaching for the doorknob. “You’re awake,”

“Welcome back,” Lance said hurriedly, out of breath.

Shiro opened his mouth to reply but was stopped.

“Dinner?”

Shiro fixed his eyes to the side, hands brushing against his nape. “I’ve already had one. Back at the office.”

“I see.” If Lance was being honest with himself, he was kind of expecting it.

Shiro sighed before taking a step forward closer to him. He put his hand on his shoulder, cold fingers grazing against his skin. “You know, Lance, you’re not obligated to wait for me to come home or anything. I told you not to force yourself, didn’t I?”

Lance shrugged. “I know. You’re just… kind of a weird alpha.”  _And I don’t want to be left alone._

Shiro chuckled at the reply. When he smiled, the creases around his eyes made him look older than he actually was. “I am. A bit.”

The conversation died out at that – neither of them seemed to know what else to say. They bid each other good nights before disappearing into separate rooms.

 

Lance pushed his head deeper into the pillow, letting the stupid cushion swallow his desperate screaming. Shiro was nice. He was super nice, actually. But Lance didn’t know what he wanted, and he didn’t know what Lance wanted. What if he said something wrong and upset him in some ways? No, no, he can’t have that.

What if Shiro was regretting the whole ordeal of marrying an omega – and a male one at that? Now that was something beyond his control. Just the mere thought of that sent shiver all the way through his spine.

He couldn’t live like this. Didn’t want to live in a house where he’d feel unwanted (again).

Lance wrapped his arms around himself, blunt nails digging into tan skin, too afraid to close his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m not making things up – I’m telling you, Allura. He’s avoiding me.”

Allura stared at him with scrutinizing eyes, pausing as she was about to take a sip of the drink in her hand. “Maybe he’s just, really busy?”

“Maybe.” Lance shrugged, biting into the straw of his own juice. “For like… every single day of the week? I mean, it’s been _days_ , and all of our talks consist of only ‘good morning’, ‘good night’, ‘have a nice day’s. What are we? Co-workers?”

Allura shook her head. “Have you tried asking him about it?”

“No…” Lance scuffed his bare toe against the bench.

“Well, you can’t live like this forever, can you? You’re going to have the talk, eventually.”

The glaring noonday sun left him feeling dry. Lance considered on jumping back to the pool.

“Lance, darling, come on, look at me.” Allura placed her drink on the small coffee table and kneeled between his damp legs. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? That Shiro was nice and gentle, and that he’d wait for you until you’re ready?”

Lance looked down at his friend and nodded silently. Allura beamed, reaching out her hands to brush Lance’s clammy hair away from his face.

“Then I don’t see what’s the problem is?”

He sighed. “ _I am_ the problem. Look, nobody wants a male omega, alright? And he’s like… like he models for a living, Jesus, Allura. I’ve sent you the photos, right? And – and what if he finds my heats exasperating? I’ve been off suppressants for three weeks now… no wonder I can’t stop feeling antsy. I probably reeked too.”

“Lance, you’re bloody gorgeous.” Allura slid her hands down, tugging Lance’s calloused hands into her grasp. “And I take it he’d been damned prepared the moment he agreed to marry you.”

Lance creased his forehead. “But what if he’s seeing other people? I mean, even if he does, I can’t do shit about it now, can I? It’s not like we’re mated or anything.”

“Bloody hell, Lance! What’s with all the depressing what ifs? Go cool your head. Now.” Allura gestured at the pool and Lance happily obliged, pulling her along as well. They both dunked inside the warm water. Laughter exploded around him, and he willed himself to get rid of his depressive thoughts as Allura wounded her arms around his shoulders.

“Just to let you know my offer still stands,” Allura said between giggle.

“Offer?”

“If your husband _really_ cheats on you or ever hurt you in any way – I’ll wait for you in my vacation house in Hawaii. I think Shay won’t be opposed to that idea either. She adores you anyway.”

Lance smile widened. “Thank you, Allura. Let’s go shopping next time, together with Nyma?”

“Hell yes. Oh, and I don’t think I ever get around saying this but Nyma bought a Bugatti. I think she’s trying to outdo you.” She peeled herself away, grinning.

“Oh no she did not,”

 

Allura stayed for dinner. Every so often Lance had tried to guess the time, but it went by so fast he had no way of knowing it. He accompanied Allura to the entrance and waited until her car was no longer visible. After spending the day with his best friend, he could feel it, pushing up through all the worries; hope. It lifted the heavy parts in his heart and made him want to go back to his college days and hold on to those people who he deeply cared about. Lance hardly thought of returning to the past. But if there were a time in the past that he would have wanted to return to, it would have been those peaceful days he spent with his grandmother back in Cuba, when he was still allowed to travel outside the state.

It started raining hard not long after, and he began to worry about Shiro. He leaned deeper into the sofa and tightened the grip on the cushion, every so often his eyes shift to the wall clock hung on the opposite wall.

It was nearly twelve o’clock when Lance heard the soft hum of a car just behind the closed doorways. There was still a heavy storm lurking outside. He hoped Shiro didn’t get drenched.

When Shiro walked inside, there was something amiss. His hair was damp, like he’d just washed it. His shirt dry but looked as if he’d buttoned it hastily. He didn’t even smell like Shiro – just… soap.

Lance stood up immediately from the couch and let out a small, choked sound. “Where were you?”

Shiro jumped, clearly wasn’t expecting him to be there. “Lance? Why are you – “

He didn’t give Shiro a chance to finish as he scampered toward the staircase. He was so tired and stressed and confused, he started crying.

 

* * *

  

Lance couldn’t sleep even if he tried. And God knows he tried. Every time he closed his eyes he was enclosed by suffocating darkness tugging on his limbs no matter where he’d run. The nightmare tonight was the worst yet. He knew Allura was right; they need to talk about whatever this is to make it work. Or else Lance would have to spend his nights haunted by the same nightmares over and over again.

He knocked on Shiro’s door three times before the alpha groggily emerged from inside the room. He had bags under his eyes, his complexion looked awful than the last time Lance saw him. “Lance…? Wha…”

“I… I can’t sleep.” Lance couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Can I… with you…?”

Shiro regarded him with one last sleepy look before blinking abundantly to clear up the fog in his mind. “Uh, yeah, sure… go ahead.” He stepped aside, making a way for Lance to step inside. He peered in, quickly scanning the interior. The room smelled of expensive cologne and the sweet, sweet scent of alpha. He could also discern the tiny whiff of nervousness emanating from Shiro. His room looked small compared to this. The wall was covered with deep blue wallpaper, and Lance liked it already.

He padded to the king-sized bed and climbed on top of it like he belonged there. Shiro watched him with a hint of blush on his cheeks. Lance picked a less-muddled side, where he believed Shiro didn’t sleep on and made himself comfortable against the quilt. He assumed Shiro followed after him not long after, feeling the way the bed dip supporting his weight.

The silence that followed afterward was hefty. Even with his back to Shiro, he knew from the way he was breathing erratically that the alpha couldn’t exactly get back to sleep either. Lance clutched the comforter like his life depends on it. Lance exhaled a shaky breath involuntarily.

“Lance?” Shiro asked hesitantly. “You want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“I don’t understand,”

“What don’t you understand?” Shiro asked quietly. The bed creaked as he shifted. Lance could feel the heat against his back.

“You,” Lance admitted, finally turning around to face his husband. He was leaning heavily on his elbow, his white loose t-shirt had short sleeves and Lance couldn’t help but to bring his gaze to his injured arm. He swallowed and looked away before continuing, “I’m just really confused about you right now. I don’t know even know why you agreed on the engagement, or if you’re sleeping around behind my back. You’re not sleeping around… right?”

Shiro looked hurt. Lance wanted to take his words back. “I’m not. I… well. I was drenched on my way back to the car. So I decided to stop by a hotel and clean myself up.”

A weak laugh pushed through his choke-up throat. “See? This is our problem. We haven’t gotten the chance to talk properly. To sort things out. So you were not trying avoiding me then?”

Shiro paused before answering, trying to keep his voice steady. “I did. Actually.” He licked his bottom lips, suddenly Lance found this to be unbearable.

“Why…?” he croaked.

“It’s not your fault, Lance. I promise.” Shiro reached out to touch him, but he flinched, moving further away. “You know I… I could smell the fear on you, right? Whenever I’m near you I could always tell when you’re uncomfortable and distressing, and it’s always hard for me to see you like that. Even right now, I can tell the way you have all your guard up,”

Wait, no, actually Lance didn’t know that. “What… then…”

“I don’t want to coax you into doing something you don’t want to, so I thought I could just, keep my distance and all that.” Shiro chuckled lowly – damn him, when Lance’s eyes were suddenly brimming with wetness.

“That – That’s stupid!” the younger man exclaimed, pushing himself up. “You know that’s stupid right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to scare you off. Maybe once you adjusted to this life we’ll get along on our own?”

“I want to get along with you too, dude, damn it.”

“You… do?”

Lance nodded. “Maybe I am scared, but for you to suddenly ducking away from me will only make matters worse. And besides, eating alone sucks.”

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked, moving closer, staring intently at Lance. “Are you absolutely positive?”

“Positive.” Lance answered with a smile. This time, he didn’t back away.

For a flicker of a second, something changed in his expression. It was warm, inviting and almost intoxicating, Lance almost doubted it was even real. Shiro held out his hand – his fine hand – and Lance took it in his. He was expecting the guy to say something, after all, wasn’t this the kind of development the two of them were hoping for? But all he did was squeezed Lance’s hand gently with a long, content sigh. The warmth of their connected hands spread across his whole body, and it helped him not to feel so anxious.

“So you gonna stay for breakfast and go home before dinner?” Lance whispered after a while, when sleepiness began to envelop his entire being.

Shiro hummed his answer. He sounded like he was on the edge of drowsiness too.

“Alright, cool. Thank you again.” Lance wanted to shuffle closer, but afraid it’d be too fast for the two of them. He dreaded on letting their hands go though, and for some reasons he believed so did Shiro. It felt like the whole moment was so delicate that it might break if he pushed on it too much.

His eyes were fluttering shut when he heard Shiro’s voice, soft, just above a whisper. “I’ve always thought you were pretty. But pretty is an understatement.” he said. “Good night, Lance.”

Lance’s eyes shot open in an instant, but Shiro was no longer facing his way. He held his breath, watching the man before him succumbing to his sleepiness, repeating the words he’d said over and over again in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading up to this point!! also thanks for the nice comments !! i really appreciate it cuz comments are what keep this fic going!! :D  
> sorry if the first few chapters are p boring because theyre just stiil sooo awkward around each other! but i promise it gets fluffy (and smutty hopefully)
> 
> and yes! shiro still has both of his hands BUT something still happened to him, and i need them intact for plot purposes lol i hope nobodys mad abt this;;;
> 
> once again thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

The days passed slowly, almost as if the world was giving both Lance and Shiro a chance to begin anew. Lance honestly thought he would die from the stress and anxiety at any moment, but after a week passed everything gradually evened out; Shiro kept his promise, and while Lance still couldn’t believe the life he’s currently living in, he was starting be grateful about it.

Shiro was kind. Gentle. He danced around Lance while maintaining a close but careful distance; a distance the two of them too scared to reach out to. They talked about small, insignificant things, mostly, but never anything too personal. Shiro avoided talking about himself, half of the time, but Lance was a man of patience. They both had all the time in the world, after all.

Starting the day on a positive note, Lance actually really loved the smell of fresh-baked pancakes in the morning.

And he loooved, loved it especially with Shiro and his two bestest friends; Allura and Nyma joining him on his dining table.

“Woah, this is the best breakfast I’ve eaten in my entire life.” Nyma said around a mouthful of pancake. Lance threw a glare in her direction and motioned for her to zip her mouth shut.

Shiro chuckled lightly – wasn’t bothered at all.

“Sorry about her. She talks a lot.” Said Lance, flushing slightly in the neck. Shiro being too nice for his own good actually made it harder for him.

“What? I was stating the truth!” Nyma waved her hand from across the table. “But seriously Mr. Shirogane sir, you’re really lucky!”

“Just Shiro is fine.” And then Shiro smiled, a smile so genuine and soft and charming and suddenly Lance felt a warm sensation that leaves his lungs short on air.

Nyma gaped at him and switched her awestruck look back to Lance. “Whoa.”

Allura coughed into her hand, breaking the awkward silence. “On the other hand – “ she started, placing the silverware neatly on the plate with all the grace in the world, “We’re very sorry to impose you so early in the morning but Lance insisted on us trying this… out of this world cuisine and I can shamelessly say that I did not regret it.”

“See? I told ya.” Lance chirped in, chin held high. He drew back a little when he heard Shiro laughed softly, the tip of his ears burning red.

“Then I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Feel free to drop by anytime you’d like. Thank you for keeping Lance company.” Shiro said, tone all reserved and business-like, but still with a hint of pleasantness in it.

Lance smiled, and as he was about to comment on Shiro’s stiff behavior, the chauffeur appeared from behind the door and whispered something into Shiro’s ear that made him stand up.

“As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I have to get going soon…” He trailed off, dragging his eyes along the room and landed on Lance. Immediately he stood up, making small jogs in Shiro’s direction.

“You guys wait here, I’ll just um.” Lance supplied when his friends both gave him a weird, knowing look. “I’ll see him off.” With that, he left after Shiro and closed the door to the dining room. Shiro was standing in the middle of the living room, trying to fix his sleeves.

“Let me help with that.” Said Lance, already making his way across the room. Their skin touched for a fleeting second – a light, chaste hint that sparked electricity through Lance’s veins. He looked up finding Shiro watching him with careful eyes. “Um. You’re ready to… go?”

“Your friends are nice.” He said with a strained smile, and Lance wondered sometimes how good it’d be to be able to smell what Shiro is feeling – to know what he’s thinking about, just like the other way around. Maybe… once they were bonded, perhaps?

“Yeah, they are.” Lance felt a grin creeping up his lips. “Allura, she’s – she’s amazing. We’ve been together for as long as I can remember. We grew up next to each other and our parents… are close. And since we’re close of age it’s just something that comes naturally, I think.”

Shiro’s smiled softened. “Really? What about the blonde one.. um, Nyma?”

“Oh. Yeah. She’s super pretty right?” Lance chuckled at the thought, brushing his nape with his palm in a bashful mannerism. “We used to fool around back then, um, in college maybe? ‘cuz we’re both omegas so I thought, why not, not like it’ll harm anyone and while it was fun and all we – “

“Lance.” Shiro interrupted by placing a firm hand on his shoulder, his jaws tight. “That’s enough.” He said, still with a smile.

“Right.” Lance blinked, suddenly feeling like he’d been slapped. “Sorry… I was babbling.”

Shiro’s expression fell, eyes growing wide with concern. “No, Lance, that’s not what I mean –“

“Then what is it?”

“I’m…” Shiro sighed, resignedly putting both hands on Lance’s shoulders. Lance firmly believed that he did not flinch at the contact. (he did)

“I’m really glad you have friends that you’re really close to. Really. And I like hearing you talk.” He started, the words coming out of his mouth making Lance’s face fume with a blush. “It’s just…” then he leaned in, and Lance swore on his life, that he did not expect Shiro to brush his nose against his neck, just right above his scent gland. He let out a rather pathetic squeak, the warm breath fanning against his skin causing his fingers to curl against his palm.

“It’s just that they’re both really pretty, like you said, and Allura’s scent as an alpha is pretty strong, is what I’m saying.” Shiro finished after leaning back into his space.

Lance just gaped at him, mouth open and his elegance, his finesse – forgotten. “Oh.”

There was a faint blush of pink on either side of Shiro’s cheeks. “So… See you at dinner then?”

“Uh-huh.”

Lance did not register anything at all, not even the way Shiro shot him a questioning look, or when he waved him goodbye, or the sound of doors closing.

He clasped the side of his neck – _where Shiro just scented him_ – and after a minute or so of staring into the deep burgundy color of their front doors, Lance finally said. “ _But she’s bonded!”_

 

Lance bolted into the dining room like his life depends on it; opening the doors with a loud bang, he startled the two ladies who were talking idly among themselves. Lance had no chance to register the look of surprise across their faces when he immediately blurted out;

“Fuck me in the ass with a stick,”

Nyma snorted before howling out a loud, ringing cackle. Allura put down the empty glass she was holding with a mixture of various emotions passing through her face.

“I’d rather not,” she said after a beat of silence.

“Figurative speech, Allura.” Lance tutted. He crossed the room, stopping right in front of where Nyma was perched on top the table, her legs crossed.

“What happened to _table_ _manners,_ Lance?” Nyma teased, wriggling her manicured toes.

“Okay, you know what, get the fuck down.” Lance glared at her, but she didn’t budge. Lance didn’t actually care, now that Shiro wasn’t there.

“So, what died and make you want to be figuratively fucked, Lance?” Allura asked, one eyebrow raised teasingly. Lance swallowed, feeling the already passing heat slowly crawling back into his neck.

“He scented me.” He muttered, eyes wide and one hand instinctively flew back to the spot on his neck. “Shiro fucking _scented_ me.”

“O…kay?” It was Nyma this time, sounding doubtful and looking at Lance like he’d grown a second head.

“I think it’s really nice that you guys are getting along well.” Allura added, and Nyma nodded along with her.

“No, you guys don’t understand. He’s never done that before. Like. Ever.” Allura’s eyes widened, and Nyma’s smile faltered a little.

“No fucking way –“ Nyma said, _finally_ getting down from the damn dining table. “You’ve been here for what – weeks? You’ve gotta be fucking kiddin’ me.”

“Congratulations then Lance!” Allura clapped her hands together, moving closer to where Lance was standing. “It feels like it was just yesterday you were moping around all over the poolside.”

“I did _not_ weep.” Lance snapped. “Lance McClain does not weep.”

“Anything that floats your boat then Lance,” Allura said with a smile, stretching out her arms to give Lance a hug, but the omega visibly recoiled and shied away from her touch. Both Allura and Nyma stilled and stared at him like they didn’t know the guy standing before them.

“Um!” Lance broke the weird tension in the air, flailing his arms around. “Sorry it’s just – “

“Aahhh. I know what this is.” Nyma twirled her golden locks between her thumb and forefinger, her smile sly and knowing. “I think Shiro is jealous.”

“He is not.” Lance’s response was immediate.

“You guys are sooo cute together. You’re cute, no wonder he’d do that to you in uh, like eight in the morning.”

“Yeah? Should’ve done that earlier then.” Lance grumbled, crossing his arms in front of him. Allura put a reassuring touch on his shoulder, her posture relaxed when Lance no longer winced.

“One step at a time, Lance.” She said, in her mother-like tone. “Both of you are trying, and I think that’s enough.”

“Yeah but!” Nyma interrupted, counting on her fingers. “Three… three weeks. So you’re telling me, you guys haven’t done anything while living together. You, an omega, and a really yummy looking alpha?”

“Well I uh. I climbed into his bed… twice?” Both Allura and Nyma looked genuinely interested at the prospect; their smile sly and flirty. “And then he… held my hand. Once. And please don’t say _yummy_ , you’re giving my head weird imageries.”

“And then?”

“That’s… it?” Lance finished with a small voice. Nyma audibly sighed, and Allura smile froze in place before she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

“Aww man, even _we_ did much more than that!” Nyma slouched against a dining chair, once against crossing her legs and flaunting her perfectly shaped thighs.

“Yeah? You better not say anything about _us_ in front of Shiro, you hear me? He does not need to hear about my failure in romance.” Lance shook his head when Nyma grinned at him.

“Okay, you know what? Let’s celebrate the first step of Lance’s budding romance with a trip to the mall. Nyma’s driving.”

“In the new Bugatti?!” Lance lurched into action, his excitement bubbling up.

Pulling out the keys from the purse, Nyma twirled the metal on her finger. “Yep, baby. Still with the new car smell and all.”

“I call shotgun!”

 

It felt good to just let loose and just kind of… forget about everything in a while, you know? Like forget that you have responsibilities to your family, forget that you’re married and living in a too-big estate, forget that your own father just handed you over like some property…

Forget that you’re a freaking omega, and just lived like any normal person would – stupid dynamics be damned.

Allura changed shops like she was picking petals of a flower. As tiring as it was, Lance was thankful for the distraction.

The restaurant was less packed than it usually is, with today being weekday and all. The calming music and low chattering helped Lance soothed the knots in his mind.

“You wanna tell us what’s wrong, honey?” Nyma spoke first, tilting her head with sheer uncertainty. Her lips were pouted and pale eyebrows pulled together – making Lance realized that he would never, ever, get over this girl in his entire lifetime.

“Nothing’s wrong.” He replied indifferently, ‘cuz maybe nothing was ever in shape in the first place.

“You barely touch your food,” Allura supplied, the concern grew on her expression. Lance pulled his lips into a thin line and poked the steak with his fork. It was cold.

“Maybe I’m not hungry?”

“Been in touch with your family lately?” Allura asked, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“Uh. Yeah? My mom called me just yesterday, we talked quite a few times before too. Luce and Jake text me all the time, and they promised they’d drop by when they have the chance.” He shrugged, unsure of where the conversation was going.

“What about Miranda? Tony? Your dad…?”

“Eh.” Lance leaned back into the sofa, the weight of Allura and Nyma’s stares suddenly very, very heavy. “You know how busy they are.”

“Nothing?”

“Well. He called me once and told me to behave myself, does that count?”

Allura sighed, curling her hands into fists. “Lance…”

“What about Shiro’s family? Have you met them yet?” Nyma propped her weight against the table, leaning in.

“Honestly? I’d rather not. They looked super starchy and completely uninterested so I’m just returning the favor, y’know?” he picked up his glass of mojito and gulped down half of the drink. “Meeting an omega is one thing, but why would they want to congratulate their son on getting hitched with some _male_ omega, right?” he snorted into the glass, in which both Allura and Nyma didn’t share his amusement at all.

“C’mon Lance, stop that,”

“What.”

“Stop talking like that or I’ll have to pull your tongue out and force feed them to the dogs.” Nyma chided, puffing out her cheeks.

“Hmm, I don’t know, it sounds pretty tempting,”

“And stop avoiding the question!”

Lance raised his brows innocently. “What question?”

Allura groaned. “I thought you’d clear things up with Shiro, but you still look like your puppy had just died yesterday and honestly I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that,”

“I did,” Lance whined, playing with his fork once more, scratching the metal into the uneven surface of the table. “It’s just… with me being… _me_ , there’s just a lot of things to consider.”

There was a beat of silence when neither of his friends open their mouth to speak, so Lance heaved a deep breath and continued.

“You guys should know that I’ve been on suppressant and birth control for the _longest_ time, right?”

“Since your parents find out you’ve been fooling around with Orlando? Yes.” Nyma supplied, rather inattentively, and Lance cringed at the mention of his ex.

“Don’t even fucking go there.” Lance pointed at Nyma accusingly with his fork. “And I’ve been on suppressant like waaay before that. I think since the end of my second heat?” He hummed to himself and look around at the empty tables. An old couple sat on the edge of the room, drinking wine, laughing. His eyes stayed at them longingly. “Anyway. It’s been years since I’ve experienced heat. _Years._ I think I might’ve forgotten how my own body works. _”_ He finished with a sour laugh, drinking in the worried glances thrown at his direction.

The feeling of his incoming heat was familiar, but not something he thoroughly welcome. The moment he stopped taking the pills on his strict agenda, he knew that the prickling sensation underneath his skin and the urge to eat more, to clean up his room more than necessary were no mean… insignificant. He was never antsy when experiencing heats before (granted, he’d only went through two lonely heats), but when you’re forced to suppress your nature and then suddenly thrown into some stranger’s house, anyone would feel like crawling their way out of their skin.

“But now you won’t have to do this alone, Lance. Shiro is – “

“ _Shiro_ thinks avoiding me is more effective than telling me his worries.” Lance interjected. “And it’s too early for this, you know? I’m pretty sure my next heat is going to be bad – like super messy and foul and ugh!”

Nyma placed a hand on top of his reassuringly. “You better talk this through with him, Lance. Remember, communication is key!”

Lance snorted. “Fancy coming from a girl who tied me to a tree just to break up with me.”

That shut Nyma up. She retracted her hand and fold her arms against her chest, a faint pout apparent on her lips. “I apologized for that. And I even sent you tons of gift cards.”

“Yeah, and as the person with a bigger heart, I accepted your apology.”

After a moment of grounding silence, Allura spoke with a soft voice, “Are you afraid he’ll reject you?”

Lance’s head snapped up. “I’m not. I just… I don’t want him to be disappointed in me, too.” He cast his eyes downward, pupils tracing the weird patterns on the wooden table. “I think… I think I could fell for him, Allura, and that’s scary. Just imagine, he was forced into this as much as I was!”

“Aww, Lance!” Nyma cooed, her cheeks growing pink.

“Yes, so think about it, Lance. An alpha like him – he could just reject the whole arrangement if he wanted to, and his parents would probably find him better suitors, but he chose you.” Said Allura with wide, hopeful eyes. Lance almost believed her. He let his hand wander to the side of his neck, his touch fleeting, and let himself grew warm, content.

Almost.

 

* * *

 

 

After Allura and Nyma dropped him off and sent him away with a chaste kiss on the cheek, his heart sank. He just stood there on his doorstep in the cold breeze of an October, barely moving an inch. The house looming before him was suddenly too big for him, and even with all the lights turned on, it did nothing to deter his anxiety. He opened the phone, reading the chats from his siblings for the fifth time that evening, already aware of the content and almost had each sentence memorized. He locked his phone, tuck it into his jeans pocket and grabbed the handle. Just stepping inside the room made his breath rapid and shallow. There were signs of Shiro everywhere in the house – every room smelled distinctly of him.

Shiro was sitting ever so gracefully on the piano stool when Lance arrived. He had missed dinner altogether, even though Shiro had promised to eat with him. It made the lump in his heart bigger, and he swallowed around his constricting throat.

“You can play?”

“Just a little.” Shiro smiled, lifting his gaze to look at Lance. “Welcome back. Did you have fun?”

Lance scooted closer, nodding. He paused beside the piano, fingers ghosting against the shiny, pitch black surface of the instrument. “Show me?” it didn’t sound like a question or a request; he finally met Shiro’s eyes.

Shiro moved a little to his left and Lance accepted the gesture, sitting down on the stool, their knees brushing against each other. He watched as Shiro cracked his knuckles and glided his hands across the row of pure with keys. His back straightened – ensuring proper posture. It was nothing but a simple piece; not too long nor too complicated, but with the way Shiro’s long & lean fingers move against the keys, perfect and graceful, it was almost as if a symphony flowed from within him.

“Woah.” Lance gasped, voice high in adoration. “You gotta teach me that.”

Shiro chuckled, and Lance could feel the vibrations through their shoulders. “Of course. Do you know the basic?”

“Uh-huh.” Lance smoothed his hands along the keys, one finger moving awkwardly. “I know do, re, mi, and… fa?”

“You’re going to be a piece of work.” Shiro scoffed, putting a hand atop of Lance’s own. He felt his face heating up as he involuntarily stiffened. “But I can deal with that. What are you going to do once you’ve mastered it?”

“Um.” Shiro’s very smell flooded his senses, making him jittery, his heart feeling like it might leap out of his chest. “I’m gonna. Woo you.”

There was a beat of silence as Shiro silently observed him. and then he laughed, a soft, baritone laugh that rang deep inside of Lance’s skin, spreading warmth all over his body. “Wh – What?”

“Okay, Lance. I can’t wait.”

Lance looked at him – _really_ looked at him, and suddenly Allura’s words were repeating itself inside his brain, and he considered. Really considered, ‘cuz now looks like the perfect moment, is it not? But then Shiro smiled at him, so he did too. The moment was too delicate, too precious, and he decided that it could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really sorry if this is short im kind of sad and unproductive lately orz


	4. Chapter 4

Lance lay awake in his bed, staring resoundingly at the ceiling after what it felt like the most uncomfortable way to wake up.

Ever.

He was soaked to the bone with sweat; a sweet, sickening smell hanging in midair and glued to his skin. There was a wet, slick sensation between his legs when he pushed himself into a seating position. He swore.

The unpleasant feeling seeped deep into his skin, tingling his spine as he scrambled to reach the calendar he had marked with the countdown to his upcoming heat.

Lance crossed out another date and swore again before stumbling into the shower.

He had a nice, long bath, scrubbing away what’s left of the mind-numbing scent that enveloped his body like a second skin. He came out smelling more like Lance and maybe, a little peach-y.

 

Shiro, his hair messy from sleep, had on a crisp white blouse, a navy-blue short and a pair of reading glasses. He was scrolling through the pad in his hand, his steaming hot coffee left untouched on the table. Lance halted halfway through the door, somehow almost didn’t recognize Shiro at first. Every time he looked at Shiro, he looked like someone who belonged in an entirely different world from the one he knew. To put it mildly, Shiro was so thoroughly gorgeous.

Lance sat down across from him and asked the maid for a glass of cold milk.

“Morning.” he said, feigning naivety.

“Good morning, Lance.” Shiro answered with a cock of one of his brow. He looked at Lance through the lenses of his glasses. It was really sexy. Lance clenched his fists at the thought – stupid pre-heat thing. “Did you sleep well?”

 _Not really._ “Yes.” Lance said.

“You look good this morning,” Shiro said after a while, sipping at his drink.

Lance tried not to stutter. “Yes, well, I wake up like this, most of the time. But sometimes when I see my face in the mirror, it looks like someone else’s. If I skip on my skincare regime and not careful, I might end up left behind.”

“Maybe, but not in this world, Lance.” Shiro said absentmindedly, attention back to his pad.

“What do you mean?” Lance screwed his lips.

“You won’t get left behind. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Shit. Lance sank back deep into his chair and clasped his hands together in front of his crotch. _Not now, dirty thoughts._ “Ha – ha, you tease.”

Shiro only smiled, eyes never leaving his gadget and Lance was left to his own device trying not let whatever pre-heat predicaments that might slip through his fingers. The maid brought him his breakfast croissant and he ate in silence, sometimes, not too subtly, watching Shiro from the corner of his eyes. He knew he should tell Shiro about his heat, since he’d be spending it _here_ , in a house he shared with an _alpha_ , and damn if that thought didn’t just added a violent desire to just push Shiro down on the table and ride him into oblivion.

Lance groaned and slumped forward until he was leaning against the table. Shiro watched him worriedly.

“Lance?” His voice was soft and full of concern. Lance wanted to hold him so badly. He tried to get a grip. He closed his eyes and breathe in a lungful of fresh air. Fuck, fuck, stupid omega impulses. Without a word, Shiro placed his hand on Lance’s back, just between his shoulder blades. His big, lean hand that smelled like home and _more_. He imagined that hand squeezing around his rock-hard d –

“I’m fine!” he said, more to himself than anything.

Shiro pulled his hand back, his expression confused, watching Lance like he was a puzzle he’d have to solve. He opened his mouth to say something, and so did Lance.

“Lance – “

“Shiro,”

They said in unison, both eyes growing wide in realization. But before Shiro could come up with anything, Lance beat him to it.

“Go ahead,” he said.

Shiro was unsure for a moment, the expression was new on his face. “Um. Actually… I was wondering if you’re free, today?”

“Yes, I’m always free, why?”

“I want to take you out. Somewhere.”

Lance straightened in his seat, his heart beating violently in his chest. “Like a… Like a date?”

“Yes, maybe. It’s a date.” Shiro’s gradually reddening face betrayed his aloof expression. Lance almost laughed – glad that he wasn’t the only nervous one in this relationship. “I don’t… I don’t know if you’d like the place, so I – “

Lance immediately stood up, taking Shiro’s hand in his. “I’d love to go anywhere you chose for me, Shiro.” He pulled his husband until they were standing face to face, his smile wouldn’t leave his face anytime soon. “So let’s not waste any more time, shall we?”

 

They drove in Shiro’s SUV and he refused to answer Lance’s questions about where he was taking him. He was smiling the whole trip, and it should be really sweet and tender when Lance wasn’t filled with the urge to constantly jump his bones, that is.

But he couldn’t help it, okay? His heat is coming soon, and Shiro took it upon himself to take Lance out on a date, like he was about to court him properly and it did something wonderful to his stomach. He was happy, and aroused, and hopeful. Shiro also smelled faintly like he was – excited, nervous, brimming with hope. Lance felt like he was peering into someone else’s secret, something forbidden he shouldn’t be knowing, but he leaned in closer, oblivious to Shiro suddenly stiffening next to him, and buried his nose against Shiro’s shoulder with a tiny whimper.

He didn’t know how and when, but one of Shiro’s hands – the one not grabbing the steering wheel – found it way to the back of Lance’s neck and he guided him, up, up until he was pushing himself with his arms, and he was engulfing on Shiro’s very scent. It flooded his veins, and like a drug, invading his senses. Lance had never touched Shiro’s skin this intimately before. His skin was taut, smooth, like a young boy’s. He felt again his own heart thumping in his chest as he inhaled deeper, savoring the moment.

When he pulled back, Shiro was looking at him with his pupils blown wide, both of their faces painted red. He had to swallow again and again to calm himself down. Shiro took a quick breath and forged ahead.

There was an unspoken agreement hanging in the air that they’d talk about this at a later date.

 

Shiro took him to the amusements park. Lance had look at Shiro like he was expecting him to explain whatever it is he wanted to convey, but Shiro only shrug and casually said, “I’ve never been to a theme park before,” and damn if it doesn’t get Lance’s gears going.

“There’s a Disneyland in Tokyo!”

“I know, but I was… busy, and the next thing I know I’m almost thirty.” Shiro said bashfully, brushing his hand against his nape. He was wearing a bunny-ears headband Lance forced him to.

“There’s one in Cali.” Lance said around a mouthful of nachos. “We should go there together, you and I. How about that?”

Shiro beamed, warm and genuine. “Okay.”

Lance held his hand the entire morning (more like, dragged him around, but what the hell, right) and coaxed him into riding every single ride they could before his stomach complained, loudly, when they were in the middle of a haunted house. Shiro had laughed, completely breaking the eerie atmosphere at that and Lance grumbled, holding into his arm a little tighter than necessary.

Lance had insisted on going to the McDonald’s, but Shiro was having none of that. So they went to the expensive looking French restaurant that didn’t taste like anything special, but everything in a theme park is expensive so there’s that.

“We haven’t try the big coaster yet,” Lance grasped the stem of his wineglasss between his fingers and lightly turned it. “Let’s go there after we eat.”

“No, let’s not.” Shiro said simply, smiling, watching Lance like he was the greatest thing in the world. Sap. “Let’s go for a… milder ride first and then we’ll try whatever you want.”

“Party pooper.” Lance made do with a dour look. “Say whatever you want, but I won’t throw up all over the floor if that’s what you’re worried about.”

The man across him chuckled. Lance relaxed his dour look and asked Shiro straight out:

“Why did you take me here?”

“Because I want to,” Shiro admitted. He grabbed his glass of wine and studied it carefully, inhaled the aroma before taking the first sip. The whole series of movements had a sort of natural elegance Lance couldn’t help but ogle. “I’ve never been here before, even though I wanted to, as a child. And I really want to… get to know you better. Be closer to you.”

Lance swirled the wine in his glass, blushing profusely. “So you like me,”

Shiro grinned and chuckled like Lance was ridiculous and also adorable at the same time. “I like you, of course.”

“You’re not only saying that because you’re stuck with me, right? In which you don’t have any other choice.”

“I do have other choices.” Shiro supplied. “But they weren’t as nice. Or as cute.”

“Oh,” Lance felt the air around him suddenly grow thin. Mechanically he reached for a glass of water and gulped it down. Completely oblivious to Lance’s confused state of mind, Shiro continued.

“You seem like you’ve been here before, though.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Lance blinked absent-mindedly, trying to get his mind out of the gutter. “I’ve been here quite a few times. Actually, umm…” he fiddled with the rim of his glass, eyes darting to the wide window next to him. “Few years after Lucy was born, my family came here often. There was this one time. When I was ten, I was separated from the rest of my family and a woman approached me and talk to me. Said she’s going to buy me lunch and buy me balloons.”

Shiro’s eyes shot open, wide, but Lance still wasn’t looking at him.

“She did, and she bought me other stuff too, like gums and hats and other things my parents don’t give me often. Then she took me to her home. In short, I was kidnapped. But I didn’t know that back then.” He finished with a small, mocking laugh. “She put me inside this huge room, not as huge as my old bedroom, but I had to share with Tony back then and I was thrilled at the idea of having my own room that every other odd slipped through my mind. She said she was going to take good care of me and that we’ll decorate the room together.”

“Lance…”

He could feel Shiro’s eyes on him. “But it was like a short dream. It didn’t take long until there were men in front of the house, and then there was my dad, along with a few other guys bursting into the room, shouting. I was confused and scared, but mostly confused.” Lance turned to look at Shiro, who was watching him intensely – unable to form any decent reply. “The woman she – she didn’t know who I am, whose child I am, or that I’m an omega. And it made think… about what’d happen to me if my father didn’t come? How’d my life unfold from that point on?”

At Shiro’s incredulous look, Lance laughed.

“Okay, wow, heavy topic on the first date! Clearly not what I was aiming for, but phew. I swear I’m not usually like this.”

But Shiro didn’t laugh with him. Instead, he was super tense; his brows brought together, jaws taut. He didn’t blink and Lance smile faltered as he fell into a worried state.

“It was a long time ago, Shiro. It’s okay.” He began softly. “I’ve forgotten about half of it, mostly.”

“Yeah.” But Shiro’s answer was strained. “Yeah, I know.” His hand – his fine hand – reached across the table to squeezed Lance’s own, hard. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

(Okay so if Shiro was still a wee bit tense like something was tugging at his mind a little while after that, Lance couldn’t really blame it on him.)

 

Lance must be in love with Shiro, he realized with a start. No mistake about it. They were having dinner in a nice restaurant Shiro’s family frequently visited and Shiro’s eyes were twinkling when he was talking with Lance and Lance wondered if he had a dopey look on his face too. If he were standing in front of a mirror would he recognize the strange expression on his face? Where did it even come from; he didn’t feel like retracting his steps and investigating further.

But still, it was so fucking intense. The moment Lance accepted the fact, and also while heightened by his weird omega endorphins, this love gust through him like a cyclone sweeping across the plains – flattening whatever in its path. And at that moment of vulnerability, as Lance announced that this was the best plate of Garlic Knots he’d ever tasted in his life, he could only hope that his voice didn’t shake.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance was a hopeless romantic, in a sense. A bit innocent, despite what he said about himself. Start him talking, and he’d go on nonstop, even in a situation he wasn’t completely comfortable with. But at times he’d get so engrossed with his thoughts he’d forget to eat, to laugh, to be… Lance.

The first time Lance fell in love, was with his bestfriend, Nyma. It was chaotic, the two of them stood on their own wavelengths, and neither of them relented. The two of them knew that with two omegas, there was nothing they could accomplish. So Nyma broke his heart.

There was an alpha named Orlando that mended him, made him feel more like Lance again; free, young, unbending. But Orlando was just a guy out of nowhere, and all that’s left from their bond was a box of patent birth control Lance’s father had shoved at him.

If he was asked whether he had fallen in love with Allura once, back then, he wouldn’t admit it.

 

Lance wanted to be like a main character from a novel – wild, cool, charismatic. He’d run away from the house a few times, hung around with Hunk and the kids from Garrison (before his father sent Hunk away), and not play damsel in distress just because he was biologically designed to do so. If he’d been able to grow a beard, he would have. Instead, he couldn’t escape all the fucking moisturizers because he had an urge to look pretty.

The urge unfurl itself ten folds at the sight of Shiro. Shiro and his serenity, his patience, his gentleness… Lance wanted to curl against him, and ask him to tell him how pretty he is, despite how embarrassing that sounded. He wanted to tell Shiro about himself, about how much he wanted Shiro help him with his heat… but he couldn’t. more like, he missed the chance again, today. Not that today was bad – today was probably the best day in his life, and that’s saying something.

Lance wasn’t exactly what people call pretty. His cheeks were sunken, nose long and upturned. But he had an expressive face and a great sense of humor, and his laughter was infectious. His cheeriness was one of the best things about him.

And, okay, Shiro liked him. It was bound to happen anyway. But would Shiro be willing to spend an entire heat with him? The question nagged offensively inside of Lance’s head. He wished he could just forget about it. 

Lance lay awake on his bed; tossing and turning and kicking his blanket off to the floor when he failed, yet again, to fall asleep. Shiro would know, right? He would know if Lance was feeling anxious – if he was hiding something. So he shouldn’t be keeping it all to himself, right?

It was in a middle of the night when Lance decided he’d get everything out of his system.

 

Shiro didn’t open the door until Lance knocked for the fifth time. When he did, Lance let out an involuntary gasp at his husband’s appearance; his cheeks were wet and his body was bathed in cold sweat. He looked worse than Lance, with dark bags under his eyes and hair sticking up in every direction. Even his breaths trembled.

After a moment of silence, Lance spoke quietly. “Is now not a good time…?”

Shiro brushed back the messy strand of his hair, movements stiff. “No… I’m just… I can’t sleep.” He said, bringing his gaze to the floor.

Lance bit his lower lip, gazing into Shiro’s eyes searchingly. A deep, steady gaze. Shiro’s eyes were clouded, like in a quiet pool in a deep stream. “…Nightmares?”

Shiro looked taken aback, but soon the expression wears off on its own. He nodded solemnly.

“I have… nightmares too sometimes.” Lance supplied good-naturedly, placing a hand on Shiro’s forearm. “Do you want me to keep you company?”

“I guess,” Shiro said, suddenly meek.

Lance stepped inside, surprised, because the bed was a mess of tangled sheet and duvet, like Shiro had been tossing around on it the whole evening. Shiro followed behind him weakly, shutting the door almost inaudibly.

“Sorry,” Shiro said quietly.

Lance cocked his head to side. “Sorry? For what?”

“It’s kind of… messy.”

“I don’t mind.” Lance answered simply, climbing to the less-muddled side. He made himself comfortable, crossing his legs on top of the sheet and tapped his thigh. “Come here?”

Shiro made an adorable gesture of pointing to himself.

“Yes,”

Shiro looked momentarily stunned, then confused, and then settled on bashfulness as he ascended to the bed. He looked so vulnerable like this – Lance suddenly felt like wrapping his arms around the big guy and shield him from the world; protect him from whatever nightmares that turn him into this. He reached for Shiro and pulled his head into his lap, brushing the white tuft of hair back away from his temple.

“My little siblings used to have a lot of nightmares too, and since mom and Miranda are always busy and tired so it’s always up to me to tuck them back to sleep.” He gently ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair, heart hammering loudly in his chest. “Lucy always told me it has something to do with omega instincts or something but I’m just doing what a good brother should, you know?”

Shiro hummed in agreement. He cracked one eye open and caught Lance’s wrist. It wasn’t until then that Lance realized it was shaking. “You’re nervous.”

“Of course I am.” Lance huffed.

Shiro laughed quietly. He brought Lance’s hand closer to his face, almost touching his lips.

“It’s not because I’m scared of you or anything,”

“I know.”

Lance hummed. He resumed stroking Shiro’s head when his grip loosened. “Feeling better?”

“Yes.” Shiro closed his eyes once more. “Nobody has ever done this to me before.”

Lance blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Then the world’s missing out on a lot.”

Shiro smiled crookedly at that. Lance wanted to put his fingers on those lips. “You wanna talk about that nightmare of yours?”

Shiro paused before shaking his head. “Sorry..”

“That’s completely understandable, man.” Lance snickered. He spent quite some time watching the serene look on Shiro’s face. “Hey… Shiro?”

“Mmhm?”

“There’s something I have to tell you.” Lance voice was soft, barely audible. Like a whisper. Shiro looked straight at him and smiled faintly.

“Okay?” he replied. He sounded sleepy.

“Before the… engagement, I talked to my doctor.”

Shiro nodded.

“I was on a really strong suppressant that stopped my heat altogether.” Lance began carefully, watching for any change in Shiro’s expression. “But a prolonged use will have side effects on my body. Worst care scenario it’ll make me… sterile.”

Shiro’s brows deepened into a frown, but he was still quiet; waiting.

“So before the wedding I… I’ve stopped consuming any heat-suppressing medications. And…”

“And your heat is coming soon?” Shiro pushed himself up until they were eye to eye.

Lance worried his lips and nodded. “Maybe… sooner than I expected. I don’t know. It’s been years.”

“You can hold out heat for years?”

“Apparently, yeah, with enough money.” Lance shrugged. “But that’s beside the point.”

Shiro, apparently, got the point just fine. “You want to spend your heat with me?”

Lance, despite everything, turned bright red at that. He was stupefied; not hearing anything, not seeing anything. It was October, but Lance was so warm he felt like he would melt into the ground. He focused on the mismatched colored of Shiro’s hair, which was pure white like newly fallen snow. “I mean, if you – if you want to. But I could still work my heat alone, you know, if you think we’re going too fast. I know that this heat would take a while to finish and um, maybe it’ll be too much, for a first time…”

Shiro was quiet like he was contemplating. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

“You don’t have to do it…”

“But I can?”

 “Huh?”

“If I want to, I can?”

“Of… Of course.” Lance flattened his palm on the sheet. He didn’t know what else to say.

Shiro stared at him, hard. Lance couldn’t read his expression – couldn’t tell the weird smell hanging in midair. “It’s okay if it’s me?” his voice was just above a whisper. Lance almost didn’t hear.

“I want you to because it’s you. Not because we’re legally married or stuck with each other or something like that.” Lance admitted; his whole face felt like it was on fire. He had no idea why Shiro had said something like that – there were probably tons of other omegas willing to wait in line just for the experience of being devoured by Shiro alone.

Shiro stopped talking. He looked up, searchingly, at Lance. Time flowed past in the ensuing silence.

 

In bed, Lance went over the things Shiro had told him, making a mental note of some of the odd things he’d said. Leave it for tomorrow, he told himself. But he couldn’t stop his train of thoughts, not when Shiro’s face, confused and susceptible, keep surfacing in his mind.

He took one last glance at the body next to him – Shiro, who had fallen into a deep sleep with his back facing Lance – before closing his own eyes,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the nice comments & supports! thank you for reading this far too!  
> heres something i've written in advance i hope its not too bad:D   
> the next chapters wont come out as fast as this one, since i have work & college, probably be out at the end of the month  
> thanks!x


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild blood warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nothing graphic tho hhe

Something is off about Shiro, Lance mulled as he strolled down the endless, sapphire-hued hallway. There was this familiar craving feeling, surrounded solely by water more blue than any ocean – an infinite aquatic scenery. A dolphin passed by him, its body arched and flipped down gracefully as Lance took a closer step to the glass wall. He flattened his palms against the glass, eyes wide and round like an enthusiastic child. He walked at the same pace of a school of colorful exotic fish, when a large turtle caught his eyes. Going to the aquarium was always magical; he would never get bored of it, no matter how old he’d become or how he had already familiarized himself with the staffs and janitors. As the tunnel ended, Lance wasted no time as he hankered down another tank excitedly. Lucy huffed when Lance left in the middle of her speech – not like he was listening, either way.

Lance bent forward in the touch pool, making grabby hands at the weird-looking tiger shark and starfish. Before long, Lucy approached him and asked him in Spanish if he was done poisoning the fish and he answered with a cheerful chuckle.

Lucy smiled back and left, making her way to the food court. Lance followed her into one of the restaurants, and once he stepped inside, soft, relaxing music began to flow from the ceiling speakers. It didn’t smell too much of sea salt inside the restaurant; Lance was a tad bit disappointed.

They picked a place in a corner of the room. Lucy sat across him, eyeing the menu with mild interest. Occasionally she would tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. Eighteen years have gone by, and he still could bring back every detail of Lucy’s tiny fingers and baby fat like it was just yesterday. The unrelenting July heat as he applied the sun cream on her back, because unlike him, his little sister burns easily. The soothing chill of water against his skin, the frozen blue sky above his head. He remembered how it hurt to look at the sky for so long.

He didn’t even realize he was staring at her until she returned the gaze, less lenient and more annoyed; “What?”

“You’re so pretty.” Lance sighed. “You were such an ugly baby. I’m glad I rub off on you the right way.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him before rolling them overdramatically. It was true, though. From all of his siblings, Lance and Lucy was almost inseparable, and look so alike, just like two peas in a pod. The only evident difference was that Lucy had their father’s skin, which was pale than his and reddens quite easily. “I want to come up with something mean but I just remember you’re paying, and I need to be on my best behavior if I want to have dessert.”

“Wow,” said Lance.

“I’m going to order some seafood if you don’t mind,” She said to him. Lance was stunned into silence before answering.

“Whoa – I mind! The fish mind!” Lance said. “How could you eat seafood in Seaworld, Luce? You heathen.”

“Too late,” Lucy said with a playful tug on her lips. She beckoned the waitress and Lance spent a full minute complaining about serving seafood inside a marine preservation spot before ordering. Lance and Lucy spent the time talking quietly to themselves. She read his palm and predicted that he would live to ninety, marry five times and die surrounded by cats. It’s not that bad, Lance commented.

When Lucy finished her second cup of butterscotch milkshake just after four o’clock, Lance went to the wide observatory tank, watching everything and nothing at all. The big fish didn’t seem to be interested to swim near the thick, open glass – maybe human made them dizzy. Lucy stood next to him, handing him a bottle of water, and told him unimportant facts about clown fish he’d rather not know.

“All clownfish are born male but can change later to female.”

“Okay, that one’s kind of rad,”

“I wish my life was that easy.” Lucy hummed to herself, feet playfully kicking the bottom of the tank. Lance heaved a loud sigh.

“Tell me about it.”

Lucy turned her eyes on him and gave a little nod. “You alright? Though you do seem happier than the last time I saw you.”

“Yeah. Things are… good. Better than I thought it would be. I hope.” A kind of sigh escaped his lips.

“Okay. You tell me if something went awry though? I’ll tell mom about it.” Lucy said.

Lance nodded. “I just,” he turned his full attention back to the tank, eyes following the way a small shark passed by. The way its tail moved around elegantly and its shiny grey topside, bejeweled in the soft glow of light. “I really miss you… everyone. Mom, dad, Jake, Miranda, Tony…”

“I don’t know why you would miss dad.” Lucy murmured sharply. Under the water the shark turned sharply avoiding the glass until it was out of sight. The empty tank glow reflected on her, softening her feature with soft blue hue. “He was so against me dating Betty.”

“Who’s Betty?!” Lance questioned with a jump.

“You weren’t listening, were you?” Lucy exhaled loudly. “I started dating this girl called Betty. I told you back in the tunnel!”

“When can I meet this Betty girl?”

“Dunno. Once I can get dad off my case I guess. Mom was supportive, which is good, but you know how Tony and Miranda are.” And then she added before Lance could ask; “Betty is a beta, by the by.”

Lance folded his arms and tapped the bottom of the tank with his foot. “I don’t see the problem with that.”

“Dad doesn’t want to me date anyone, apparently. Not until I graduated law school. Which I hate with my entire being, by the way.” She said in a small, quiet voice. Lance frowned. “You’re so lucky you could study arts and music. I just want to live my life without all of these… extreme expectations, you know? And it breaks my heart whenever I think about Jacob – everything’s been decided for him; from how he lives to where he’ll die. Anyhow,” she paused, rubbing her fingers together. “I’m really glad Shiro is taking good care of you. You’re better off there, with him. Our house has been kind of weird lately, like there’s this weird tension in the air. If you want to see Jake and mom, we can arrange that. For now… just stay away from the house. Especially when you’re about to go into heat.”

Lance inhaled sharply. “You can tell?!”

“Lance, come on. I’m not dumb. Anyone with a nose could tell from a foot apart. You literally reeked of it.”

“I am?!” Lance stood there, dumbfounded. If Lucy could tell, then probably so could Shiro. Why did he look unfazed most of the time?

“You gonna share your heat with him, huh? Damn, Lance. If I weren’t an alpha I’d probably drool all over those thighs.”

“Please don’t ever talk to me like that ever again you are scarring me.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Drama queen.”

Lance gave her a tiny smile.

 

“Uhh, I don’t know how to put this, but… thank you for today.” Lance said when he saw Lucy off to the front lobby.

“I didn’t do much. I had fun too.” Lucy said, holding into an oversized dolphin plushie. “If I can help you ease your knots I’d like to see you again. Next week?”

“Really?”

“You’re my brother, Lance. Honestly, fuck dad. Let’s go drinking next week. You could bring Shiro and I’ll take Betty with me.”

At the mention of Shiro, Lance’s smile twitched. It didn’t go unnoticed by Lucy, who placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“You’ll be fine. You like him… don’t you?”

Lance blushed, his neck growing warm. “I really, fucking like him.”

“Good, because I know he likes you too, you’re my brother for god’s sake. So let’s go drinking, okay? I need an excuse to go out, and the people from law school are a bunch of ass I’d rather not associate with.”

Lance chuckled. “Okay.” He said. “I want to be of help too – you know, in case dad drives you crazy, you’re welcome to crash at _my_ place. I’m sure Shiro wouldn’t mind.”

Lucy laughed through her nose. “Okay. You’re gonna be okay. Trust me.” She said. “See you next week.”

“Definitely.” Lance said, waving at her with a wide grin. And if Lance was anxious about Shiro hiding something from him or that he was afraid he liked Shiro too much it might scare him off, he didn’t say it.

 

* * *

 

 

On a Friday night, Lance managed to cut his palm open on a kitchen knife, trying to make himself a sandwich. He was dazed thanks to the pre-heat situation that he hadn’t realized he had misplaced the knife, the edge of the blade facing him. He could hardly believe how much blood gushed out of his palm, painting the floor beneath him bright red. A maid had rushed into him in panic, her face white as a sheet as she brought a bunch of towels to clean up the mess and tied the wound tightly with a bandage. Everything passed by like a blur of color – Lance couldn’t make up her words, her actions, or his surroundings. Only once Shiro made it into the kitchen that Lance finally grasped the situation.

“Fuck, Lance…” he sounded hurt, tense. Lance had never heard him curse before. It didn’t take long before Shiro ushered him into his car and drove him to ER. By the time they got there the blood had pooled inside Shiro’s car like a puddle of spilled milk. It was his favorite Aston Martin.

Shiro pressed him into his chest as they made their way inside the hospital, people scurried out of the way for them. His fingers dig into Lance’s shoulder until they were white.

The doctor was quiet as he stopped the bleeding, disinfected the wound and sewed it up close.

“Man, it’s going to scar, isn’t it?” Lance groaned, watching his hand.

The doctor merely smiled sympathetically. He told him to come again the next day.

At the waiting room, Shiro kissed his palm gently and said he’s glad Lance is okay, but his shoulders were tense and his eyes clouded.

 

Back at home, Lance couldn’t sleep; his nerves were still on edge over the cut. He knew Shiro couldn’t either. Shiro had been having nightmares more and more lately. Lance knew because he would wake up whenever there was a sound of door opening and closing, and each time Shiro climbed the stairs into his study, the sound of his footsteps would resonate up inside Lance’s room. Lance would count each step until he had the numbers memorized.

 

* * *

 

 

Halfway through that week, Lance was violently woken up by a loud knocking on his door. He jolted awake, dragging his feet lazily across the room and opened the door while still grumbling incoherently. A petite girl with curly brown hair stared up at him restlessly.

“What?” he croaked, voice still heavy with sleep.

The maid – Lance remembered her name was Tonya or something fidgeted nervously. “Please forgive me for waking you up like this, master Lance, but the master has yet to leave his room.”

Lance rubbed his eyes. “So what? Let the guy sleep,”

“He refused to answer the call from work, or from his brother,” she explained quietly, bringing her eyes down to the floor. Lance suddenly felt bad. “He’s never been like this before. He would always have told us if he wasn’t feeling good, but other than that he’d never miss a day of work.”

Lance squinted at her, forcing his brain to start. “What time is it right now?”

“An hour before lunch,”

Lance felt a weird tug on his chest. Shiro – his Shiro was acting weird and it worried him greatly. He’d been worried long since he discovered Shiro had weird reoccurring nightmares more than normal people would have. “I’ll check on him.” he said, pulling his night robe and slipping on his blue fuzzy room slippers.

Lance knocked, and there was no answer, but he wasn’t surprised. The room wasn’t locked though. Inside was dark, the curtain closed shut. Not even a trace of sunlight peeking from the gap between the curtains. Shiro wasn’t awake nor he was sleeping – when Lance got close enough he was curled underneath the blanket, shaking, but not from the cold. Lance sat down gently on the comforter, peeling the blanket away and ever so slowly, gathering Shiro up for a hug.

“Hey there, big guy.” Lance whispered, sliding until he was laying on his side, facing his husband. “What’s bothering you? Are you okay?”

Shiro blinked at him like he wasn’t fully there. There were small droplets of sweat on his forehead. Lance wiped it clean with the back of his palm.

Shiro sighed and melted into the hug, curling into Lance. He was bigger than Lance, his legs longer, but he fits nicely against him, like he was meant to be there. “I am now.” Shiro answered, voice rough. He had avoided answering Lance’s first question, but this was enough for now. Lance’s hand moved to his nape, and then to the back of his head, where he scratched behind Shiro’s ear at the short strand of his hair, until he heard Shiro’s breath evened out slowly.

They spent the entire day curled against each other, Shiro deep asleep in his arms. Every now and then his lips would quiver slightly as if he had caught himself on the verge of talking. Lance tightened his grip whenever Shiro would stir uncomfortably and crooned in a way he had never before… so omega-ey. Before, acting like he was right now would bother him greatly, but whenever he hummed or press his nose into Shiro’s neck and Shiro calmed down, it gave him an odd sense of pride… and affection. It washed over him like a wave, a comforting one, like being wrapped around a sheet of soft silk.

“I really, really like you.” Lance whispered quietly when Shiro was fast asleep. He was also on the verge of sleeping himself. He ran his fingers against Shiro’s charred arm; the skin was hard and rough to the touch. He traced over it gently. “That’s why it hurts me so to see you like this.”

 

The next day Shiro went back to work like nothing happened.

 

Lance didn’t really visit Shiro’s study that much, afraid it was too intrusive of him. But whenever Shiro had his sleepless night, his study was the only place he ever visited.

So, once Lance finally got bored of scrolling his twitter timeline and sending Hunk a bunch of memes until he reached the end of his photo gallery, he found himself on the brightly lit room that smelled awfully of Shiro’s scent.

And it wasn’t as if he was looking for a particular news article; it was just there, under his feet when he sat down on the chair, okay?

Lance bent down, pulling the piece of newspaper, and watched as a dozen of them tumbled out. He swore under his breath and crouched down to collect the newspapers in his hand. Most of them were printed in Chinese and Japanese, and only a handful of them was in English. He supposed it was because Shiro is Japanese, but as he sorted them out at the table, the dates strike him as odd. Lance counted the years using his fingers because math wasn’t his strongest suit. The newspapers were thirteen years old. Shiro indeed looked like the type of guy that would read a newspaper in his free time, but thirteen years ago he would still be sixteen. Why would he collect old papers and put it somewhere like underneath his desk?

There was a deep chill in the air. Lance braved himself and grabbed one of the English-printed articles. Like a regular newspaper, there were many columns and headlines, but none of interest. Thirteen years ago, Lance would still be ten years old – he couldn’t care less about which baseball player landed a what on that date. He flipped to the next page when a small headline of the corner of the page caught his attention;

_JAPANESE CORPORATE CEO’S SON RETURNED AFTER MISSING FOR 6 MONTHS_

Lance breathe in a deep breath before reading the rest of the article.

_BEIJING, China. After reported being abducted back in February, Takashi Shirogane (16), son of Shirogane Trading Company’s CEO, Ichirou Shirogane (47), was finally found in front of their temporary residence in Beijing, on Wednesday, 4:43 PM. Police were searching desperately for his whereabout for the past six months. The 16-years-old boy was abducted on Sunday, February 2 nd, while he was on his way back to the hotel, and as in now the police were still searching for the perpetrator(s), as there were no ransom notes nor phone calls –_

Lance reached for another newspaper, flipped through them until he found a picture of young Shiro. He couldn’t read Japanese, but from how big the headline was, he knew whatever happened to Shiro – it wasn’t something to be treated lightly.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Lance browse through all the papers, and sure enough, everything pointed out to whatever happened to Shiro thirteen years ago. Missing. Abducted. Six months. No clues. _Presumed dead._

He flopped down to the chair weakly, the chair creaking against the sudden weight. He wasn’t sure what to do with all this information. It was too much for his heart, and the more he thought about it, the more his heart sunk. He felt like throwing up. The tips of his fingers were cold as he grabbed onto the papers, fold them close neatly, stack them up the way he found them and placed them underneath the table as it were.

Lance raced to his room, still too numb to feel anything but the constant ache in his heart, his fingers, his veins. His hands were shaking as he picked his phone up and paced across the room.

The person from across the line of the call picked up, but Lance was still too stunned to say anything. He felt as if he had been sleeping with his head soaked in water until his brain swelled up.

 _“-llo? Lance? Are you there?”_ Allura’s voice was starting to get higher. Lance shook his head and blinked.

“What can you tell me about Shiro’s accident thirteen years ago?” he said hurriedly, his mind running a mile a minute.

“ _Oh dear,”_ Allura said _. “You didn’t know?”_

“Uhh.” Lance sat down on the edge of the bed. “Am I supposed to…?”

“ _Oh my.”_ Allura was silence for a while, contemplating, Lance guessed. Allura was almost as old as Shiro, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she knew. “ _Lance, it’s not my place to say, maybe you should ask him yourself – “_

“Allura! Please!” Lance stood up unconsciously, clenching his injured hand. It throbbed sharply.

Allura inhaled through the phone. “ _Okay. I need to know where this comes from first.”_

“I found some papers… in his study. Mostly in Chinese but…” Lance trailed off, biting his lips when he ran out of words. Remembering the articles made his head ache.

“ _Then it is exactly what was written in the paper. It happened in Beijing, thirteen years ago. His family was on a business trip when Shiro was abducted and not found for at least, 6 months. People assumed it was the triad, but nobody knows for sure, up until now. When he was finally back though, he wasn’t exactly… himself anymore. That’s what I heard.”_

Lance uncurled his fingers, worrying his lips until he could taste steel. “What the… how could I… how could I not know any of this?”

“ _You were still a boy, Lance. And I think Shiro’s family had wanted to keep all of it locked up, despite how big it got years ago.”_

“But still!” Lance yelled to the receiver. “You could’ve told me!”

“ _I thought you already knew!”_ Allura hissed. “ _And besides, it’s not my place to tell. I’m sure he would prefer to give you the details himself if you just ask.”_

Lance took a shaky breath. He hung his head, watching the weird, swirly patterns on the marble tiles. “How can I ask Shiro about something like this…?” he whined, his was voice small, tired.

“ _Because, whatever happened to him during that time… it shaped him into who he is right now. And you’re the closest person to him at the moment, Lance. He needs you, but for you to understand him, he will have to open up to you first.”_

Lance whimpered. Suddenly, it all made sense. Shiro’s weird sense of insecurity, his carefully made distance, the nightmares… “Can you help me?” he asked in a small voice. A small part of him hated this – asking for help. He wasn’t weak, god damn it, but something about how big this world is – it scared him.

“ _Whatever I can do to help, sweetie, you know I will do my best at it.”_

“Just keep me company. For a while.”

“ _Of course.”_

“So, recently I cut my palm open. Did you know that?”

“ _You what?!_ ”

They talked about everything and nothing at the same time, enjoying each other’s company until Lance’s phone battery given up. Allura was always easy to talk to, and Lance was thankful for her existence. He would be a fucking wreck without her, and immediately his thought strayed to Shiro – did Shiro have someone close to him to vent to? Like Allura to Lance, or Rolo to Nyma – just someone he was comfortable with? Another pained thud vibrated through his entire body at the thought. Shiro couldn’t possibly be holing it up all by himself, right…? It emotionally drained Lance just thinking about it.

 

What the hell happened in those six months?

 

* * *

 

  

Lance waited in the main bedroom for Shiro to come back home.

Shiro was surprised to see him in his room, but he smiled nonetheless. Lance stayed put at where he was seated on the bed, feet placed firmly on the ground. He didn’t leave even when Shiro took a quick bath. His heartbeat elevated slightly. His pre-heat thrill had dulled somewhat due to the shock, but it was still there, gnawing. It didn’t help that he cared about Shiro so much it psychically pained him to be in a room where their scents mixed.

Shiro emerged from the bathroom fully clothed, much to his disappointment. But his hair was wet and with the small towel hanging around his shoulders, he could be someone’s wet dream.

“I want to sleep here,” Lance stated simply. Shiro smiled at him.

“Of course.”

Hesitantly biting his lower lip, he tilted his head to the side, presenting his neck submissively. He’d never done this before in his life, ever. He’d refused to submit to anyone, not even his alpha ex-boyfriends, but at the moment it felt right, and the blush growing on Shiro’s face, his flabbergasted expression… it was worth it. The way his hands shake sent a sensual shiver throughout his spine.

“Lance…” Shiro breathed out. It was raspy. He wasted no time closing the distance between the two of them, pressing his nose to Lance’s jaw, the back of his ear, his neck. Lance could feel his every breath tickling his skin, warm, the smell of calming spices and jasmine taking over all of his senses and he fell to his back, arms around Shiro’s neck as the alpha mouthed at his neck wetly.

He crooned, trying to calm himself and Shiro, his voice gentle and elevating. It was a bit embarrassing, honestly. He didn’t know he had it in him, but once he got it out it felt… good. The whole process was surprisingly comfortable.

Shiro continued to nuzzle him, making soft chirping sounds, and nothing more. Lance gently ran his fingers through his hair.

“Do you still have nightmares?”

Shiro nodded. “I can only sleep when I’m with you.”

Lance could feel his heart flip. Of all the things, Shiro had to say something like that. “We’re both a mess, you know that?”

Shiro nodded again, content of not lifting his head from where he was settled into the crook of Lance’s shoulder.

“I… I don’t know what’s bothering you and why, and if you’re still not comfortable with telling me, it’s fine, but I want to help you, or at least, try.” Lance murmured against Shiro’s hair, moving his hand ever so gently.

Shiro hugged him tighter, until Lance had to breathe deeply to get air into his lungs, but he didn’t mind. Not when he could breathe all of Shiro’s scent until it was embedded in his mind like this.

“You smell really good, Lance. The strongest I’ve ever encountered.” Shiro mouthed at his skin. Lance felt hot all over. “Your scent is sturdy. Expressive. I…” he swallowed before continuing with a quieter voice. “My senses aren’t as good as the other… alphas. But I can still feel you just fine, smell you like I’m normal and not… flawed. That’s why, Lance…” he finally lifted his face, staring down at Lance with an intense gaze that made the said omega’s mouth dry.

“I’m really thankful for you… your existence. It was as if you were made only for me. You’re… perfect.” Shiro said, blushing furiously at the tip of his ears. He was so sheepish it was adorable. “I know it sounded cheesy but it’s true…”

Lance licked his lips, swallowing the lump in his throat before reaching once again to wrap his arms around Shiro’s neck. “That’s not cheesy, Shiro. I know cheesy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Lance hummed. He pulled Shiro closer to his chest, caging him. it felt so right like this. With Shiro between his arms, nestled peacefully as he slowly succumbed to a deep sleep, away from the world who had hurt him once. Lance had never felt as much as at ease as he was right now. Maybe Shiro was right. Maybe they were made to complete each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this came out faster than i thought it would. (turns out all my busy shifts are on weekends lmao)  
> thank you so much for all the comments/feedbacks/bookmark/sub i greatly appreciate it!! im still shook when people responded positively at this ;w;
> 
> i hope you like this chapter!!! *eyeing the keith character tag ominously*
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://lucrezia-dormentaire.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a really short update because i decided to cut some of the parts in here :(  
> i havent check for any misspelling or errors so its probably messy. i'm going to fix this chapter after i go to work:)  
> in the meantime, thank you for reading! enjoy.

In all honesty, Omegas aren’t as bad as Lance makes them up to be. See, the thing is, in this modern society, most people couldn’t care less about secondary gender. Unless, of course, you happened to be born into a family who represents an entire state. People who drink from a one-thousand-dollar wine glass, the working class, they see omegas’ constant heat as a liability. Heats often disrupted the balance of both Alphas _and_ Betas alike and deemed them useless until the period stopped completely. It was the heat that made the rest of the world see omegas with half an eye. Beyond that, omegas are just humans, like the rest of them. That was what Lance wanted to believe.

But of course, things applied differently when you’re born a _male_ omega. If female beta and alpha both can get pregnant, people tend to think that the existence of male omegas is nothing but inept. Not that there are a lot of them; male omegas tend to be a rare occurrence, and Lance was just… not lucky.

 

Lance woke up feeling hot all over, shirt drenched in his own sweat. He hadn’t had his heat, _yet,_ but it was still awful all the same. The room was dark – it was barely dawn, and it was too quiet; even the ticking of the clock seemed muffled. He tugged his own hair and swallowed a pained groan at the restricting feeling around his chest before his breathing evened out on its own. Practically almost falling over the edge of the bed, Lance rolled over until he heard movement coming from his right.

Shiro slept like a child, Lance noted. Nose buried against the pillow, he set his hands under his chin, his mouth slightly opened. Lance let out a stifled whining sound at the sight. His left hand instinctively curled around Shiro’s back as he brushed a stray bang away from his face. Shiro didn’t wake for a while so Lance slipped away from the bed and went to warm the bathwater. While he busied himself with that, he took a moment to lock himself in Shiro’s too big bathroom to steady his breathing. The bathtub was so big, at least two people could fit inside. He _and_ Shiro could definitely fit inside.

Lance slapped his own cheek.

“Okay, none of that.” He said to his own reflection.

Waiting for the bath to heat up, Lance sat across from Shiro on the bed with chin in hand, taking a long, hard look at his husband. there were no sounds other than the ticking of the clock and the steady sound of water trickling from the faucet. The clock showed that morning was fast approaching.

When Shiro finally stirred awake, Lance cocked his head to the side and greeted him with a smile. “Good morning, handsome.”

“Lance…?” the voice that left his lips was rough. Gravelly. Lance wanted to kiss those lips.

“Are you feeling better?”

Shiro was just staring at him, hard, before bringing his own hand to his forehead. “Hmm, I don’t know. Mind checking for me?”

Lance snorted, rolled his eyes, but surged forward bringing their foreheads together. “Mm, I say, you need more bed rest. For an hour or so. With doctor Lance.”

“Doctor, huh?” Shiro chuckled, the sound like music to Lance’s ears.

Cradling Shiro’s face in his hands, Lance brought their gazes together and stared hard. “But, seriously, how are you feeling?”

Shiro lifted his arm, brushing the tip of his fingers delicately against Lance’s cheek. “I’m fine. Good, even. Thank you, Lance.”

“Mmm. You don’t have to thank me for every little thing. You know I’m here to stay.” Lance said, pushing himself to lay on top of Shiro’s chest. Shiro always looked at him with kind, loving eyes, even before they were wed. Lance felt gooey and warm all over, like he could melt into a puddle anytime now. It could be the heat talking, but at this point, Lance didn’t really care. “Do you really meant what you said last night?”

Shiro looked taken aback. He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well. It could be the weird pheromone.”

“What weird pheromone? I – Lance,” Shiro sighed, one of his fingers curled around a strand of Lance’s hair. “All I’m trying to say is I like you. Have I told you that before?”

“You have,” Lance said, face vaguely becoming redder.

“And… do you like me back?” Shiro asked slowly, hesitating just a bit.

“I like you a lot.” Lance answered without a thought, cheeks now dangerously red. “But we don’t know each other that well,” he added inefficiently.

“We could work it out.” Shiro supplied. His hand moved to the back of Lance’s head.

“Yes.” Lance was whispering now, soft and low, like warm summer breeze. “Yes we could.”

Shiro looked into his eyes, and Lance into his. Shiro put his arm around Lance’s waist and kissed him. Lance stiffened in his hold slightly, but then he relaxed and closed his eyes for several seconds. The early morning sunlight cast the shadow of his lashes on his cheek, and Shiro could see it was trembling in outline. It was a chaste and gentle kiss, one not meant to lead beyond itself. Lance was also a little bit self-conscious about his morning breath that he pulled back first, but not without a dazed, loving look in his eyes.

“Sorry.” Shiro said quietly, also in a daze. Before Lance could even come up with a retort, he continued, “My breath probably stinks.”

Lance was silent before breaking into a full-blown laughter, probably shaking Shiro with him. “Are you – Are you for real?”

“Wh… What?”

“Don’t apologize after a kiss.” Lance said between laugh. “You’re a weird alpha.”

“Oh, sor – “ Shiro was about to apologize, _again_ , but Lance all but reeled towards him, knocking their foreheads together as he kissed him once more, harder. His hands coming up from the sides of Shiro’s neck, his cheeks, the shell of his ears, stroking the smooth skin and breathed in his characteristic fragrance. He was warm, soft, and wet. Their tongues wound around each other before Shiro pulled back a little, mouth slightly parted. Now Shiro was the one with his hands around Lance’s face and he kissed him all over – his sunken cheek, under his brow, his nose, the skin between his ear and jaw; It was as if he was treasuring time itself. He looked at every inch of Lance’s features, not missing a spot, touching everywhere, kissing everywhere.

“Oh my god,” Lance gasped as Shiro nipped the side of his neck where his scent gland was. “Shiro. Shiro, You’re going to trigger my heat early, Jesus…”

Shiro brought his head back and licked his now shiny lips. “Oh. Right… um.”

Lance smiled at him. He pecked the corner of Shiro’s mouth. His cheek felt warm.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Lance said.

“We should really talk about it,” Shiro said, then a pause. “Your heat, that is.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Lance answered almost absentmindedly, stroking Shiro’s temple in lazy circles, earning an unamused look from the alpha. He needed Shiro’s tongue inside his throat again, damn it.

“We should set boundaries, Lance. You know you won’t be clearheaded when your heat began, so we better talk about what you don’t want to do while you’re still fully conscious,”

“Oh… wow.” Lance was now part amazed and part aroused. It was really cool of Shiro to talk about that even though Lance was his literal spouse and was completely at his mercy if he wanted to. “I’m, uh, I never actually thought about that, before. Huh.”

“Well, I want you to tell me now, if there’s anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“Hmm.” Lance pretended to think, tapping his lower lip with his index finger as he once more laid his weight on top of Shiro’s. “I really can’t stand those emo, metal music stuff.”

Shiro stared at him, flat. “Lance,”

“No, like, seriously, who’d listen to such depressing songs? Music is supposed to lift you up and make you giddy, not to make you weep about the lingering touches of your exes!”

Shiro sighed, resigned. “Then what type of music do you listen to?”

“Hayley Kiyoko. Ariana Grande,” Lance answered truthfully. “I wanted to answer with Jazz and maybe impress you a bit, but I’ve only been to a jazz bar a handful of time,”

Shiro traced random patterns across Lance’s back, the suggestive mood long gone. “Figures,” he said with a small smile. “I bet you go to clubs often,”

“Yeaaah, and no. See, some clubs ban omegas, even when I’m under suppressant. But some let me through when I’m accompanied by an alpha, so maybe we should go together.”

“I don’t know, I’ve never…”

“Excuse me, what?” Lance interrupted, folding his arms on top of Shiro’s well-built chest and leaned in closer. “We are going, Takashi Shirogane, you and I, on Friday night. It’s a date.”

Shiro sighed, but fondly. He cupped Lance’s jaws in his hands. “Lance, I’m not taking you anywhere. You’re about to go into heat.”

Lance whined, low in his throat, and nuzzled fervently into Shiro’s hands almost unthinkingly. His scent invaded his whole being, his veins, making him dizzy with want.

“And you still haven’t told me what you don’t want to do in your heat.”

“Shiro, I told you, I didn’t even think about it before, I’m fine with whatever. You can do what you want.” Lance assured him, one hand joining Shiro’s. Still, Shiro looked completely unsure as he stared at him.

“…Are you sure?”

Lance nodded. He rolled into his side, and so did Shiro. They were staring deeply into each other’s eyes when Lance answered with low murmur, “Positive.” Lance counted Shiro’s thick lashes, the way they flutter against his soft skin, the pale glow of sunrise reflected in his eyes. He rested a hand on top of Shiro’s arm – his injured one. “Have you ever done it before?”

“Hm?”

“Sharing a heat with an omega,”

Shiro shook his head. “I know what they smell like and what they do to alphas, but just theoretically.”

Lance felt the beginning of a blush across his feature again. As his fingers grazed Shiro’s rough, calloused skin, the alpha looked up at him briefly, then down again.

“Do you find it revolting?” Shiro asked quietly, Lance almost missed it.

“What?”

“My scars,” Shiro looked at him silently, still faintly smiling. A quiet smile that nothing could ever touch, revealing nothing to Lance of what could lay beyond. Confronted with the sad smile, Lance felt his own emotion was about to be lost to him. For a while he lost his bearings, forgetting what the was about to say and what they were talking about. His eyes flickered over Shiro’s arm, the cut across the bridge of his nose, and the healed wound almost hidden by the collar of his shirt. When he finally looked at Shiro’s eyes again, though, words return.

“Shiro. I like you,” he told him. “Whatever it is that happened in the past won’t change what I am feeling right now. These last several weeks have taught me that no one has ever treated me that way you did, and I don’t want you second-guessing yourself for that.” When Lance finished, his heart felt like it might leap out of his chest. He should say something more, he thought, but could not think of anything.

“Are you sure that’s not your heat talking?”

“I am _not_ a slave of my own instinct. Whatever came out of my mouth, you better believe it’s one-hundred-percent Lancey Lance.” Lance huffed.

“Lance.” Shiro began, his eyes searching. “This is very important, so listen carefully. What happened to me back then… it did something to me, and sometimes I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I won’t do anything you don’t like or something to hurt you, Lance, please understand that, but if you want me, you either take all of me or nothing. I don’t know where we’re heading to from here, but you know I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. Do you understand that?”

“Yes,”

“And… you still want it to be me?”

“I’ve already made my decision.” Lance said, wrapping both his arms around Shiro and rested his head on his shoulder. The warmth of Shiro’s body pushed against him securely, insistently. “Shiro?”

Shiro pressed his face against the crook of Lance’s neck and hummed his answer. “Yes?”

“Remember what I asked you before… back then at the hotel? What if things were different and you’d never met me? What would you do then?”

“Well. I did meet you. And it’s not like we can undo that.” Shiro said, not moving an inch. “But from the moment I laid my eyes on you, Lance, I really don’t care where we’d end up. I just know that I want to go there with you.”

Lance sputtered unintelligently, face burning with the intensity of Shiro’s words. He held Shiro close and kissed the top of his head. He could feel Shiro’s heartbeat just below his chest. A fervent, warm heartbeat. When he saw Shiro’s grey, clear eyes, he realized that, like himself, Shiro had wanted to go far away from the life he’d lived before and begin a new one far from anyone he knew.

They kissed again, and again, three or four times – Lance had lost count – but then they had to climb down the bed as Shiro still have work to do. The bath had gone cold by then. Lance’s heart was fluttering like mad the entire day; giddy like a little girl with her first crush.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance’s relationship with Shiro was not without its progress, though. Little by little, they grew more accustomed to each other; secret kisses shared inside the closed door of their room, Shiro’s study, sometimes behind the kitchen bar. Even with all the heightened needs and wants that come with being an omega, a bigger part of Lance craved for a sweeter, gentler type of affection that Shiro eagerly oblige. Lance couldn’t recall everything they’d talked about. Nothing really special, he guessed. They continued to avoid talking about the past and rarely mentioned anything regarding Shiro’s family. They could spend hours watching each other over cups of coffee.

Speaking of Shiro’s family, Lance actually did not get along that well with them. It was as if they were on an entirely different realm from he and Shiro and the rest of his peers.

On Saturday night, Lance, at long last, met them for the third time at Shiro’s company gala dinner. He knew of course, as Shiro’s legitimate spouse, he’d be invited eventually. He just wasn’t prepared to sit down in a table surrounded by people who’d rather not acknowledge his existence. Shiro held his hand under the table the entire time.

Shiro’s older brother – Takahiro – had a certain inborn quality that drew people to him and made them follow him willingly. He knew how to bring himself and stand at the head of the pack, to give precise and tactful instructions that others would obey. He was the perfect specimen of an Alpha, and Lance couldn’t help but to cower slightly in his presence. People treated him with respect; when he asked someone for a favor, the person would do it without protest.

His sister was no different; all grace and class of what a female alpha could be, above her head hung an aura that showed her presence like a discernable halo. She was quiet, observing, eyes cold as ice as she observed Lance all the way from head to toe. Her anomalous beauty gave him weird chills.

Not long after a lengthy, tedious speech, Lance excused himself and made his way to the bar, ignoring the looks Shiro’s family members were throwing at him. The hotel was filled with alphas and betas, and the mixture of pheromones was driving him insane. He felt restricted, hot, eager to be anywhere but here. After downing a few glasses of cocktail, he felt warm hand clasped around his shoulder and turned around to see Shiro staring at him, worried.

“Are you okay?”

“It depends. Do they serve Spanish cuisine?” Lance answered, words admittedly a little slurry.

“I think they do.” Shiro said, lips tugging up into a smile. He looked so good in a tux, Lance mulled. He’d been thinking about how those slacks wrapped tightly around Shiro’s ass the entire night. No wonder he was feeling a bit lightheaded.

“Sweet. Then I am okay.” Lance said, gulping another glass of champagne. “Drink with me, darling?”

Shiro flushed faintly at the nickname and nodded, still with his dignity intact. Shiro drank with him, Lance lost count on how many glass, but they both were red in the face when Shiro was summoned back to the table. Lance continued to drink alone when his husband left, the bartender shot him a sympathetic look.

“What?” Lance snapped.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to let anyone get drunk tonight,” He supplied ineptly.

“Excuse me, have you met my _husband_?” Lance shot back, his index finger moving exaggeratedly. “I’ll let you know I – heeeey, Takashiiii?”

The bartender looked mildly uncomfortable. He sniffed the air around him and scrunched his nose. “Are you about to go into heat?”

“That’s not your problem, buddy.” Lance said, distracted. He slammed his glass down the countertop. Jeez, why does Alphas always piss him off so. “Do you have something stronger?”

“Uh.”

“I think that’s enough.” Shiro slid into the stool next to Lance, pushing his glass away. Lance made a uncommittable noises at that but chirped happily as Shiro moved closer to brush their arms against each other. “Did you call for me?”

“I just,” Lance began, but the words seemed to die on his tongue. He was confused, suddenly feeling not like himself, high on booze and the thick scent of alphas. “I am uncomfortable.” He gestured behind him, where the gala took place, people in expensive suits and dresses huddled together talking animatedly.

“Do you want to go home first?” Shiro asked softly, quietly. Lance shook his head. Damn, why was the music so loud all of the sudden?

“I need to go to the… toilet.” He concluded, standing up. He was swaying a little on his footing. Shiro stood with him, grabbing him by the elbow, brows pinched into a frown.

“I’ll help.”

“I think I can pee on my own, Shiro.” Lance protested, but then Shiro led him into the restroom outside of the main hall, where it was empty and quiet due to it being in the middle of the night. Lance couldn’t stand properly so Shiro ushered him into one of the stall, and then closing the door behind them. Lance sat down on top of the toilet, eyes lidded as he stared up at Shiro.

“Why are you here too?”

“I’m,” Shiro blinked his eyes a few times. Was he drunk too? “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

With two full-grown males inside the stall, it felt awfully narrow. Lance sighed. “Okay but don’t look.”

Shiro nodded his head once before turning his body facing the door when Lance went on with his business. It was kinda cute. After he was done, he felt Shiro pressing into his back, big hands around his waist.

“You’re surprisingly a lightweight,” Lance commented, leaning against the body behind him. Shiro nuzzled into his neck, soft hair tickling Lance’s cheek.

“I’m not drunk.” said Shiro.

“That’s a lie.” Lance struggled in his grip and twisted around facing Shiro, their faces merely inches apart. He traced the seam of Shiro’s lips, so full and supple. “You biiiig bad liar.”

“Am I?”

“Uh-huh.” Lance bobbed his head, his teeth showing as he grinned. “You look really good tonight.” He added, lone finger moving from Shiro’s lips down to his jaw, his neck, before stopping at his chest. “You look good every single day, but tonight, I kinda want to keep you all for myself.”

Shiro shuddered, taking a deep intake of breath, before yanking Lance’s baby blue tie and began to kiss the living daylight out of him.

Lance squeaked, hands freezing in the air for a solid second before wounding them around Shiro’s shoulder, melting into the kiss. He moaned as Shiro manhandled him to press his back against the stall’s door, lifting him up until he circled his legs around the alpha’s hip. Their lips moving against each other’s in a complete sync, Shiro’s tongue mapping the inside of his mouth like he was trying to remember his every fucking detail and Lance whined; a high, pathetic sound that he’d refuse to admit in any other occasion. It didn’t take him long before he grinded against Shiro, the man’s hip thrusting up to meet his, and they built up a lazy, voluptuous rhythm that deemed too dirty for his hundred thousand dollars slacks.

“Oh,” Lance gasped when Shiro bit into his lower lips and his eyes snap open, taking in the sight of his husband – face burning with the heat, sweat forming on his temple in small, clear beads.

This wasn’t how Lance supposed the night would go; making out and dry humping against his husband inside a toilet stall where Shiro’s father might be doing a speech in the hall just next to them, but he was too drowsy to think. His mind screamed Shiro’s name over and over again like a constant reminder that the man in his arms was his, and his to take.

Shiro bit into his neck and Lance squirmed, tilting his head to the side to grant him access. The scent of their heightened arousal mixed together in the enclosed space was making him slick, and Lance didn’t even want to think about going back inside the hall where everyone would be able to smell him – to smell Shiro. He whimpered, rocking them back and forth for a moment, hoping for Shiro to get the memo. He could feel Shiro between his legs and he lost all rational thoughts.

“Do you want to go home?” Shiro asked in a voice so low, it should be illegal.

“Yes please, by all means.”

Shiro’s breathing grew erratic before taking Lance’s earlobe into his mouth, warm and wet and seamless. “Are you going into heat?”

“I could be,” Lance murmured his answer, fisting Shiro’s suit jacket, completely ignorant to how much it worth. Lance did feel ten times hotter than when they began making out, so it was a possibility. “Are you going to take care of me if I am?”

“ _Lance_ ,” Shiro growled into his ear, the movement of his hips stuttering and oh – Lance was completely sure he was leaking at this point.

His whole body throbbed with anticipation and it _hurt_. His previous heats were never this intense and Lance could feel his feet giving up if not for Shiro backing him up against the door. His head was spinning – thoughts darting back and forth between rationality and Shiro’s dick just between his legs and he keened, knowing which thought had won. “Take me home, Takashi, please, _alpha,”_

And that was it for Shiro. He roughly grabbed Lance by his jaws, shoving his tongue deep into his throat as he unlocked the door. They both stumbled out the stall undignified, their whole appearance a mess, but neither of them seemed to care as Shiro walked outside first, grabbing Lance tight by the hand as the made their way down to the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops rating's changed


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look i want to apologize about this chapter....  
> this fic gets a lot darker than i intended to.  
> this chapter, especially, had a few tw: mention of kidnapping, torture, murder and also brief violence (not graphic!)  
> to make up for it, there are smuts too.
> 
> see, the thing is, before i start writing the fic, i had shiro's past all figured out and written down. i jsut didn't expect it'd be this gloomy when i put it in the fic. i want to mirror canon shiro's past as much as possible. i'm sorry. i swear there wouldnt be anymore depressing stuff in the upcoming chapters:(  
> in the meantime enjoy the smut. (i cant write smut for shit... im trying...lmao sorry)

“Now where are you going?” Shiro asked, attempting to reach for Lance’s hand but ended up grabbing the air instead.

They’d arrive at their home within the blink of an eye; Shiro drove like he put his life on the line that Lance could count the times he’d almost bang his head against the dashboard. Lance felt ten times hotter than usual, his heart been beating quickly and his palms began to sweat. As soon as the car stopped, the only thing in his mind was to chill himself the fuck out.

So he hurriedly made his way to the backyard, ignoring Shiro’s noises of protest, stripping off his expensive but restrictive shirt and pants and jumped straight into the pool.

“Lance!”

He dove under the cold water, feeling his back arch as he glided into the crisp liquid. Sapphire blue surrounded his vision before he swam back up, gasping for air. He let the cold seep into his skin, propelling his body temperature back to normal, breathing in the humid air with its dull tang of chlorine. On the corner of his vision he saw Shiro, picking up the clothes he threw. He smiled when they made eye contact and ducked his head underwater. He liked the idea of swimming under that heated stare.

“Lance, it’s freezing out here!” Shiro began, standing by the edge of the pool.

Lance’s body quickly loosened up, and after a few laps later, he felt more content than he ever did a few nights before. “I’m burning up,”

“It’s the heat,” Shiro supplied.

“I know.” Lance agreed. “It’s still uncomfortable.”

“I’ll help you go through it Lance… just… get out of the water first please.” Shiro crouched down by the edge, sighing. Lance’s head popped out just enough to hide his growing smirk he had at an idea. He swum closer to Shiro, watching his husband with careful movement, before reaching out his hands and yanked the poor guy into the pool – expensive suit be damned.

Shiro sputtered slightly, eyes wide in shock and mystified as he struggled to keep his body afloat. Lance laughed at him, still holding onto his shirt tightly. “Lance!”

Wasting no time, Lance pulled him by the front of his shirt and dove underwater once again before connecting their lips together and stole whatever left of his breath away. Shiro tussled for a bit before melting into the kiss, wounding his arms around his husband’s neck with bubbles of air floating around them. Lance had always been a good swimmer; he could hold his breath for the longest time, but that wasn’t the case for Shiro. He pulled away first, feet moving hastily to kick himself up to the surface and gasped for air.

It didn’t take long after that for Shiro to usher Lance out of the pool so he pushed himself up against the edge, long limbs for show and Shiro watched with adoring eyes as Lance stood, gray eyes flicking over his damp body. Lance countered the look with a smile on his own, bathing in the adoration oozing from his husband’s heated stare. Grabbing Lance’s ankle before he moved too far away, Shiro traced his finger against his bare calf, and breathed out shakily.

“Shiro,” Lance whined against the touch, now the impatient one. Shiro chuckled, pushing himself up in one smooth motion, his clothes damp and sticking to his skin like a second skin before joining Lance on the tiles. The cold night air hit him almost immediately that he tugged Lance along as he stood up, ignoring the wet patches they left on the floor as they disappeared behind the door to his room.

Lance was laughing all the way, tan hand grabbing onto Shiro’s like a lifeline. Shiro threw him a soft fluffy towel and he dried himself off, eyes never leaving the taller guy. He was blocking the door to the bathroom, where the light spilled out into the dark room, creating an angelic halo around his husband. Something about the teasing way his mouth was set made Lance want to know what wild idea he had up his sleeve. He ripped his shirt off and threw them on the floor like they worth nothing, Lance’s dark eyes following the indolent movement. Part of him wanted to be manhandled like that.

Something inside his gut was _boiling_. “Are we not gonna continue where we left off?”

Shiro laughed, and then he pushed Lance by the shoulder until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed and he fell down gracelessly on his back. Shiro’s eyes were blown and dark, Lance almost couldn’t see the hint of the warm gray that used to be there. “Who’s the one jumping butt naked into the pool?” his voice was rough, low, did something weird to Lance’s already hazy head.

Lance smiled, flashing him his white arch of teeth. Shiro kissed the cocky smile off his face and Lance chased after him when he pulled away, just to land another kiss on his jaw and down the column of his throat. Leaving sweet, lingering, open-mouthed kisses, he continued down Lance’s chest to his stomach, to the happy trail of hair right under his navel, and Lance was breathing loudly through his mouth, quick and heavy.

“This okay?” Shiro asked softly, hovering just above Lance’s excited groin. Lance nodded nippily, skin glowing red with anticipation. Shiro kissed the inside of his thigh gently, his teeth giving just a bit pressure before his mouth inching deeper and deeper until Lance could feel his warm breath ghosting against the hardness he was sprouting.

At one point, Lance nearly lost his patience and wrapped his legs around Shiro’s neck, shoving his face right against his crotch and the slightest pressure against his dick made him keen loudly. “Shit… Shit.”

“Umph – Lance…” Shiro mouthed wetly against the fabric. “You’re really sensitive right now, aren’t you?”

“I’m not usually like this…” Lance whined.

“You smell really good,” he heard Shiro says. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?”

Lance shook his head. Shiro snaked a hand to Lance’s hips, keeping them in place as his other hand reached for the waistband of his boxer pants, pulling it down slightly, not breaking eye contact even once. Air rushed out of Lance’s lungs at the sensation of skin against skin, the cold air hitting straight into his dick. With loose grip, Shiro stroked him into full-hardness before pressing the tip of his cock to his lips, rubbing it lightly against them.

Lance’s eyes widened as Shiro leaned down. His head was spinning, thoughts running back and forth, and his body seared to the tips of his fingers. Shiro’s strong alpha scent amplified in the air around him making him dizzy with want and the desire to lose himself. He felt wet tongue running against his shaft and he let out a breathy moan, arching his back into a bow. He looked at Shiro through his lashes, the sight of his husband was enough to drive him to the edge.

His cock pushed past Shiro’s slowly, the tight heat enveloping him unhurriedly and it didn’t stop, pushing into Shiro more and more until he could feel his tip at the back of his throat.

“Shiro…” Lance hissed, toes curling at the sensation.

He could feel Shiro’s appreciative hum all the way to his spine and he unconsciously bucked his hips, chasing the feeling. Shiro choked around him but he didn’t pull out – bless him – instead he began hollowing his cheek and Lance could feel his world turning into white. His body went completely limp at the mercy of Shiro, sputtering and gasping incoherently into his forearm. It felt _too_ good to be true, Lance thought to himself, suddenly lacking in enthusiasm. Should Shiro be doing this to him and not the other way around? Is it okay to continue?

Shiro must’ve felt his concern as he pulled out with a wet pop and looked up at Lance with searching eye. “Lance?”

“Um,” Lance began, lips parting and closing looking for words.

“Was it bad?”

“No! No, it was – “ he swallowed down before licking his lower lips. “I really like it.”

Shiro smiled against his cock – _what a fucking sight_ , Lance sighed to himself – and brought their fingers together, lacing them. “I really like it too.”

“You… You do?” Lance asked in a small voice; almost like a whimper.

“If I didn’t I wouldn’t do this,” he said before he straightened his back and once again, taking in Lance full in his mouth. And this time he immediately began sucking on it like a man on a mission. Lance groaned, throwing his head back and exposing his throat. He’d had his share of blowjobs, but none of them were ever this good; none of them ever made him feel this vivid. Shiro moved his head and it was _so_ good, Lance had tears in his eyes.

“Shiro…” he sobbed into his hand, his sensitivity reaching it peak. “Shiro, Shiro – “ he chanted his husband’s name like a prayer because he was too gone to think of anything else other than his lover’s mouth around him. The room was filthy with the scent of Shiro and sex, and it made Lance’s gut clenched at the edge of orgasm. He almost lost control and thrust his hips up once, before willing himself to stay put. Shakily, his hand moved downwards to tangle itself into Shiro’s hair, scraping lightly against the top of his head. “Shiro – can you…”

Shiro apparently, get the idea, because then a finger breached into his slick entrance and that was all it took for Lance to finish with a quiet scream into Shiro’s waiting mouth. Lance gaped, eyes shut, drooling all over the place as he emptied himself into his husband, his whole body twitching at the deed. Shiro moaned through it, and for a moment his sweet, fawning smell dominated Shiro’s thick alpha scent.

Lance basked in the quiet afterglow, too dazed to notice Shiro pulling out and wiping his mouth clean with his arm and watching Lance with hearts in his eyes. His chest rose and fell with his short intake of breath, eyes kept losing their focus.

“You’re so beautiful like this,” he heard Shiro said, the tall alpha nuzzling into his neck, scenting him. He smelled of him – of Lance – _his_ omega, and the thought sent a spark of pride throughout his body. Lance chirped happily, nuzzling back against Shiro, hand tightening around his nape. And Shiro was his. _Mine._

Shiro kissed his jaw, his cheek, behind his eyelid, but didn’t do anything more than that. Lance could feel the hardness pressing against his thigh and he pulled back slightly to look at his husband in the eye. “Do you want to…?”

Shiro merely shook his head. There was this unsuspecting hesitation in his eyes but he was smiling as he said, “You’re tired, aren’t you? I’m good, how about you get some rest first?”

Lance wanted to argue but Shiro wasn’t wrong – his limbs were heavy and he didn’t know if he’d be able to get himself hard again. It wasn’t his heat yet. “It’s okay?”

Shiro nodded, pressing a chaste, loving kiss to the side of his head. Lance melted at the gesture, his whole figure turned gooey and mushy. Grabbing Shiro’s cheeks in his hands, he pulled the larger man into a loud kiss, smiling against his lips. “Thank you.”

 

 

Shiro gently made out with him until he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

At first Lance didn’t understand what Shiro had meant by ‘wouldn’t be able to control himself’. He had thought Shiro meant in a rather suggestive mannerism, and he really had no problem in that sense. Truth be told, he almost forgotten about it completely. _Almost_. In any case Lance did find out, eventually, what Shiro insinuated, and he had found out the hard way.

Hard way as in, lean, strong fingers curled against his throat, pressing into his neck, blocking the air from his lungs.

Now, he knew even with all the talking they have done, Shiro still had a massive weight in his chest that he couldn’t bring himself to admit. Lance knew it was eating him alive and left him a void.

It started with the same old nightmare. Shiro shaking, making indistinct noises as he balled his fingers into a fist and Lance tried to wake him up. Emphasize on the try, because even though Shiro finally opened his eyes, they were unfocused – and he wasn’t looking at Lance. He wasn’t looking at anything. The next thing he knew he was forcefully shoved into the mattress with Shiro’s hand tight around his neck. Lance gasped for air, clawing at the hand around his skin but Shiro was twice his size, and twice as strong.

“Shi – Shiro!” he wheezed, his eyes shut tightly as he took a breath, Shiro’s hand pressing to his neck again, causing him to cough. In another scenario, this could be turning him on, but Shiro clearly wasn’t himself at the moment. “Shiro, it’s – it’s me, Lance!”

It must be working because the grip loosened for a bit, before it tightened again.

“Ta – Takashi!”

Shiro jolted awake, yanking his hand back like it burnt. He stared down at Lance with wide, unblinking eyes, pupils dilating slightly. His mouth opened and closed; a silent attempt at making words but his brain failed him. He dismounted Lance, his entire body shaking at the realization. He wouldn’t even look at Lance as he slowly settled down at the edge of the bed, head hung between his hands.

Lance coughed and lightly touched his neck, which reddened slightly – but nothing to write home about – before crawling towards Shiro. “Are you…”

“ _No_ ,” Shiro all but growled at him, his shoulder tensing noticeably. “Stay away, Lance.”

“I’m – I’m okay,” Lance began.

“No you’re not.” Shiro sighed into his hand, his voice tired, dull. Lance’s heart clenched around his chest. “I’m sorry Lance, I…” he trailed off, heaving into another sigh before standing up, ruffling his hair into a mess dark lock. He looked drained, the lines on his face showed how badly his nightmare had affected him, and Lance wanted nothing but to put his arms securely around Shiro. Shiro, of course, thought otherwise. “I just need some time on my own.” He said before making his way to the door, closing it with a quiet thud, leaving Lance by himself on the huge, empty bed.

Any other days, Lance would be too shock to even react properly, but he got priorities now. Shiro was his; _his_ alpha and they gonna share his heat together but his alpha was still not telling him shit and it made him livid. It was as if his instinct got the best of him as he climbed off the bed and scampered outside, chasing after Shiro. Sharing a heat was something Lance had never done before because at one point – it scared him, no matter how much he didn’t want to admit it. Having sex is one thing, but heat is a _vulnerable_ moment for any omegas, where they won’t be in control of what they gonna do and say. He trusted Shiro, he had wanted Shiro to take care of him, but Shiro didn’t even trust _himself._

He knew Shiro was beyond whatever it is he was experiencing. He knew Shiro was kind, gentle, and that he _loved_ him back, and is it bad that despite it all, he still wanted him?

Obviously, Shiro wasn’t expecting Lance to go after him after the stunt he pulled, but then again, Lance was always full of surprises. Lance yanked him by the wrist but he pulled back, looking down at him with the saddest eyes that sent a twinge of pain across Lance’s chest.

“Lance…” he sounded tired.

“Are you okay?”

Shiro lowered his eyes, shaking his head. “I should be the one asking you that.”

“Going through it all alone won’t fix things. It won’t fix you.” Lance said gently. He smoothed his hand down on Shiro’s arm. When Shiro refused to do as much as looking him in the eyes, he continued, “Shiro – look at me. You’re just – you’re just nervous, I know. I’m… I’m fine, see?” he tapped lightly at his neck. “It’s doesn’t even – you never meant to hurt me, I know you didn’t.”

“But I still did.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Lance said.

Shiro laughed bitterly under his breath. “Then whose is it, Lance?” he snapped, gritting his teeth and Lance flinched slightly, drawing his hand back. Then there was silence, thick enough to envelope them like blanket, suffocating and scalding. Lance knew he was supposed to say something, something to calm him down, to ease up the lines creasing in between Shiro’s brows, but a tiny part of him was scared. It was as if they were standing at the edge of a cliff; one wrong move and it would be all over. Shiro was the first one breaking off the silence with an exhausted sigh. He ran his hands through his face.

“I’m sorry, Lance. I really am.” He said, sounding pained. “I don’t… I don’t want to do that to you, I don’t want to hurt you. I never asked for any of this, I’m just…”

Lance grabbed Shiro’s hands and pull them away from his face. “I know. I’m not blaming you. We just – we gotta talk it out, you know? People have to share things. That’s what intimacy is.”

Another pained expression appeared across Shiro’s face – like he’d rather do anything else other than this. Still, he let Lance drag him back into the room, stayed still as Lance closed the doors behind them, his fingers won’t stay still like a nervous child’s. Lance looked at him, quiet as the silence stretched over them.

“Are we not talking? We should be talking about this… you know what, I’ll start.” Lance initiated, crossing his arms and leaning again a nearby wall. “I, umm. When I was just a kid, I used to dream about marrying a princess – o-or a prince.”

Shiro tilted his head a bit to the side, brows frowned in confusion.

Lance dragged his gaze away from his husband and resumed. “Because that’s what omegas in tv usually ended up with, you know? Like the handsome princes fought over the beautiful female omega because she was soooo pretty and I thought, oh, I’d probably grow up just as pretty.” Lance laughed mockingly.

“Lance…”

“But it was all in my head, after all. I’m not some kind of pretty princess, not even a girl; tiny, smooth, nor delicate. I’m just me – “ he gestured to himself. “Lancey Lance. No matter how much I tried or studied, I could never win over my siblings, could never make my father proud. Heh.”

“That’s not true.” Shiro said, lips pulled into a snarl.

“Do you want to know why Nyma broke up with me?” Lance brought his eyes back to Shiro, expression hardened into something less laidback. “She told me I’m a good friend, but a terrible lover. I’m clingy, apparently, and over protective, and I always tried so hard to be something I’m not, because I’ve never been enough for anyone. A-and I’m afraid – afraid that I’ll never be enough for you too – “ Lance stopped abruptly because he was afraid to choke on his own words, his eyes were already burning and it wasn’t the outcome he had wanted when he started all this. “I don’t even know why I’m…” he cut himself off again, pressing his palm against his eyes.

He missed the way Shiro immediately straightened and closed the gap between them in quick, large steps. The alpha pulled him into a tight embrace, burying his face into his neck, his breath warm against his skin. Lance quickly hugged him back, hands curling around the larger man’s back.

“We all have things we never want to admit, even to ourselves.” Lance murmured into Shiro’s shoulder. “But keeping it inside won’t make life easier. I wouldn’t be able to help you that way.”

Shiro pulled back slightly to look at him; to _really_ look at him. There was this softness in his eyes that made Lance fell in love all over again. He filled him with warmth and adoration; things he always gave but was never given back – not until Shiro. “You’re more than what you think about yourself.”

Lance smiled. “Thank you. Wanna help me put you into that mindset too?”

They took a seat on the middle of the bed – the duvet long gone cold but still comfortable. Lance sat across Shiro and hugged his knees. His heart was beating quickly, which it usually did around Shiro. But this was different. It was as if he was taking a deeper step into their relationship, and after this, there’s no turning back.

“You’ve probably heard,” Shiro said, “About the kidnapping, right?”

Lance dropped his head into his hands and nodded.

Shiro paused. His eyes were restless, like he was having a second thought. “Well.” Shiro sighed. “It was the triad. I’m sure of it. But as you already know, they weren’t any traces nor strong convictions and my head was in a lot of places back then so it was almost impossible to track down or point back to the triad, even up until now. And besides – the triad – they don’t… don’t just randomly grab people off the street and start _torturing_ them now, do they? They had wanted something from me, something I didn’t know what, something they thought I had at the time. Someone paid them for it. Big money. Because what they did was… risky, knowing who I am.”

“From what you heard at the news, I was… abducted for six months, right?”

Lance nodded again.

“Um, well I… I didn’t know that. I absolutely lost track of time back then. I honestly thought I’d be better off dead, so I didn’t care. I counted the days for at least two weeks before I just gave up completely.”

“Counted the days…?”

“There was this tiny hole on the far side of the wall where the sunlight would leak out at noon… the only source of light, beside the stupid flickering light above my hard. That’s how I tell time.”

Lance was silent for a while, processing all the information in his head. He let Shiro take his time, making sure to watch as he calmed his own breathing and the erratic thumping of his heart. Once he knew Shiro was calm enough to continue, he traced his fingers idly on Shiro’s right hand, pressing against the charred skin softly, raising goosebumps on the back of the alpha’s neck. “So… what happened to your arm?”

Shiro frowned, his fists clenching. Lance took the gesture and linked their fingers together. He squeezed Shiro’s hand in his. “If it’s too much, I –“

“They burned it.”

Lance’s face crumpled. No. His blood ran cold at the image of it. His whole body went rigid, frozen in shock.

“I didn’t budge. No matter how much they threatened me or beat me up, I was stubborn as a rock.” Shiro chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice. “I guess it’s partly my fault too, I should’ve just tell them some random thing, but no, I had to make things harder for myself. So one day they brought this – lighter and – “ he swallowed, pinching his brows. Lance squeezed harder. “they just threatened to burn me alive. And maybe they would, if it wasn’t for this one guy, I didn’t know who he was but everyone listened to him, so he must be their exec or something. Afterward I… I stopped expecting anything, I stopped counting the days, I stopped _waiting._ It was just too much and everything hurt so bad…” Shiro trailed off, his voice losing its power and Lance exhaled shakily, his heart suddenly very, very heavy. He lunged forward, cupping Shiro’s jaws and bring their gaze together.

“Shiro… I… I get it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to go through _that_ and I’m sorry you have to tell me all of these… if you want to stop I’m fine with that, I never thought – “

“No, Lance. I want you to know. Maybe not right now, but I did plan on telling you eventually. I meant it when I said I will honour you all the days of my life. It wasn’t just a merely spoken vow. Besides, I’m fine now, I’m outside again, I have lived my life this way for years – and I have you now.”

Lance found that hard to believe but God knows he wanted to. He inhaled shakily with wet eyes, tear threatening to escape with a mere blink of an eye.

“But that wasn’t the worst of it.” Shiro said, reaching for Lance’s hand and squeezing it tight to hide the tremor in his voice.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked slowly. He had thought Shiro would stop it at that, because he didn’t know if he had the power to stomach all of it, but Shiro’s voice had gone hoarse and his face was drained of color.

“Somewhere nearing the end they brought this… man. I didn’t know who he is, nor what was his connection with my abductor, all I know was that he had done something bad to piss off the triad. They asked me to extract information out of him and in exchange they’d lessen my… beatings if I oblige. It was… easy, making him talk. He was already scared shitless, and I was at my wit’s end so I did my best to make the pain stop. But then… one day the placed this gun on the table… and told me they would set me free, if I could put a bullet on his head.”

Lance’s lip quivered and he couldn’t believe he was actually asking this, but he did. “…Did you kill him?”

Shiro’s eyes flickered downwards for a moment before he brought them back to stare at Lance, long and hard. His jaws were set so stiff it looked it hurt. “I did.”

And Lance fell like he was falling, but he bit his lips hard to stop a gasp from escaping.

“I was… I didn’t know what’s gotten into me, Lance. When they mentioned freedom, I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore. My surviving instinct got the best of me and swallowed me whole. So I did it. I pulled the trigger. I took away… someone else’s life. I didn’t even know his name, what he did wrong, where his family were, and it still haunts me… until today and I’m just… scared…” both of his hands were shaking greatly, teeth chattering even though it was mildly warm inside. Lance couldn’t bring himself to look at him, so he ducked his head to face his lap.

“I’m sorry. It’s too much. I shouldn’t have to tell you that part.” Shiro said. “I just think… after all I’ve done, I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve anyone. I’m broken, I’m a ki – “

“ _Don’t_.” Lance growled. When he finally got the courage to glance at him, he was giving him a guilty, mournful look – one which his brows were pulled together and the gray of his eyes was the saddest thing he’d ever seen. He almost couldn’t take it. “Don’t you dare finish that word, Takashi Shirogane.” His wandering gaze landed on a fading scar on Shiro’s collarbone, almost completely hidden by the collar of his tee. He thumbed against the rough patch of skin, ignoring Shiro’s sharp intake of breath. “You’re _not_ broken. The scars are proof. Proof that you’re alive – that you made it through all of that. And you know you have no choice but to do it. I would too, if I was in your position. No, scratch that, if I were in your place I’d probably gone bat shit insane. So, Shiro, it doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t make you any less than anyone else, doesn’t change the fact that you’re still _Shiro._ And right now, Shiro is all I need.”

Shiro’s eyes were glassy. Lance knew he was trying to hold back tears.

“Who else knows?”

“Just… my mother.” Shiro said.

Lance nodded slowly. He took Shiro’s hand in his and brought it to his mouth. “Thank you, for telling me this. I’m really happy… and proud. This is life, not heaven. You don’t have to be perfect.”

“Are you quoting Angelina Jolie?”

“…I should’ve known you’re old enough to know that movie.” Lance sighed loudly. Shiro chuckled. He moved in closer and so did Lance. He tilted his head towards him and closed his eyes. His lips parted. Lance’s breath got caught in his throat.

He closed his eyes too and parted his lips when he felt Shiro’s against him. They kissed just like that. Soft, tender, unhurriedly. His hands roamed around the sheet to find Shiro’s and he linked them together, like a kid with their crush would. It was warm, unlike the burning kisses they shared a few hours prior. The kiss was calming, a way to tell each other that it’s okay to be vulnerable; because they’ll get through it together. Lance was aware of nothing beside the kiss and Shiro’s hand in his. Warm and intoxicating.

It didn’t stay chaste and sweet for long, though. Lance knew the two of them were desperate; been longing for a touch, a soft caress, a loving gaze that sends shivers through the spine their whole life and now that its within an arm reach, they’re not gonna let go anytime soon. Shiro cupped his face, wiping a stray tear away from Lance’s cheek, oblivious to the fact that he cried at all.

The kiss turned less innocent and more impatient. Lance blushed once again as Shiro’s hand brushed his nape, his body became hot once again. He gathered his courage and skimmed his hands underneath Shiro’s shirt, feeling the rough patches of skin under his fingers. He was cold to the touch and Lance could feel the movement of his muscle when he shifted. It was making his mouth dry. Shiro hissed at the touch, and Lance used his chance to slipped his tongue inside him, exploring his mouth, tongue sweeping through his teeth like he was trying to remember every single one. They breathed each other in and pressed themselves against each other, each push made them bolder and bolder until Lance pushed Shiro down the bed and straddled him, still reluctant to leave his lips. Their scents mingled in the air, creating a sickeningly sweet fragrance that stick to their skin like glue.

Lance pulled back to tug Shiro’s shirt over his head, exposing his muscled torso. He tried, unsuccessfully, not to stare but it was impossible. Regardless of the scars and fading cuts, Shiro was beautiful and Lance was raised to appreciate all the good things that came in life.

“I need you, Shiro. Please tell me you want me too.” he pleaded, his palms glided across Shiro’s broad chest to his shoulders.

“I – I do.” Shiro answered with a hitch of his voice. His eyes were blown, dark, his desire mirroring Lance’s own. “But –“

Lance didn’t wait for Shiro to finish before he yanked his own shirt off, pushing himself into his knees to pull his shorts down and threw the clothing to the floor on his side.

“Lance…” Shiro breathed, running his hands up and down on Lance’s bare hips like he’s something precious.

Lance’s tongue flickered out to wet his lips as he stroked himself lazily through his underwear. “I love the sound of my name on your lips.” And then he bend down again, kissing Shiro as hard as he could. It was sloppy, teeth clinking against each other before he dragged his lips to Shiro’s cheek, kissing his nose, his eyes, mouthing at his jaw and sucking a mark right under his ear. “I love how soft you are too,” he mumbled against Shiro’s neck, licking a stripe down until his collarbone. He placed a kiss there too, before going down to his chest, kissing all the places he could reach and taking his sweet time. He kissed a cut scar on Shiro’s right hip, the skin around it a little pink than the rest of him. “You’re perfect, Shiro. I don’t know why you thought otherwise.” Lance said, but his voice wavered at the end and he was _crying_. Tears ran down his cheeks and he couldn’t stop it, not even when he rubbed at his eyes desperately.

Shiro immediately pushed himself up on his elbows, expression stunned in alarm. “Wh-why are you crying? Lance?”

“I’m just – “ Lance’s breath hitched, so he swallowed before continuing, “I couldn’t imagine what you’ve been through…”

Shiro’s gaze softened, a slightest, tender smile appeared across his feature. “Then don’t. don’t think about it.” He rubbed his thumb on Lance’s tear-stained cheek, wiping away the flowing liquid. “You only deserve happiness and everything good that came with it.”

He flipped Lance into laying on his back, leaning in and kissing him on the mouth languidly. He was so soft and careful, making him feel like he’s made of glass. Every touch sent a spark all the way through his skin, igniting a fire deep within his gut. Shiro’s scent was safe, comforting, _home_. Lance looked up at him through glass eyes, swallowing around his dry throat and licked his moist lips.

“Hey. Make love to me.”

Shiro flushed bright red, his grey eyes widening. “R-right now?”

“I want to – while I’m not in heat yet. I wanna enjoy it while I’m still myself, you know.” Lance grin was confident, bright, even as it faltered a bit when Shiro merely blink at him. “Unless… you still don’t want to?”

Shiro shook his head frantically. “N-no! I want to. I just thought you’re not… ready yet.”

Lance snorted. “I’m not some kind of blushing virgin, you know.” He reached his hands out, smoothing Shiro’s hair back in a gentle caress with careful fingers. His thumb traced the cut across his nose, rubbing softly at the edge. “Before we do this – Um, I just wanna tell you that this won’t be my first time. Sorry.”

Shiro looked down at him, eyes fluttering softly. “I don’t care.”

Lance flinched at the words, emotions going haywire pinned by such gentle, knowing gaze. He unconsciously tried to press his thighs together, trying to hide himself.

“Lance, I don’t care about how you’ve lived or what you did before you met me. It’s your life and your choice to make. What matters is that you’re here with me right now, and it’s on your own free will.”

“Shiro…”

“I love you, Lance. Please let me take care of you.”

Lance whimpered, not on his own volition but from something deep, something primal inside of him. slowly, he parted his legs wider, slotting his thighs against Shiro’s hips. “I love – I love you too. Make me yours, Shiro, please,” he whined, choking on the word – love. His eyes drilled into Shiro, and he repeated, almost as if he was speaking to himself. “I love you.”

It was the first time he had ever said the words aloud to anyone. It felt foreign on his tongue, but familiar all the same. Maybe it was because the way Shiro gazed at him like he was his world.

And at this moment, perhaps, Shiro was his.

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro had Lance naked and panting in no time at all; his boxer hanging by his ankle as he crossed his legs around Shiro’s waist as Shiro sheathed himself fully inside of him. He was warm, throbbing, fit perfectly within him like a puzzle piece. Lance circled his arms around his neck and tugged him closer, not wanting to be apart of him even by an inch.

Shiro hadn’t even began to move but the two of them were already a panting, sweating mess.

“You okay there?” Shiro whispered into his ear, taking Lance’s earlobe into his mouth to try to distract Lance from the stretching burn from where they were connected.

The omega nodded, arching his back up to push Shiro in deeper into him, rolling his hips in a small circular motion. Shiro’s scent was everywhere that he could drown himself in it. And as Shiro began to pull his hips back and slowly rock into him, it was hard to keep himself grounded when waves and waves of ecstasy came crashing down on him, pulling him even further and further away from reality. It was only Shiro on his mind now; Shiro around him, Shiro deep within him. His breath was quick, short and long, occasionally with a dragged out moan that made Shiro tightened his grip around his hips, and he loved it. He wanted Shiro to leave a mark.

They were connected. Every breath Shiro took resonated through his cock into Lance, pulsing with an intense heat from inside him. Shiro thrusted deeper into him with a terrifying precision that left him scrambling for purchase everywhere; the sheet, Shiro’s bare back, nails digging into the skin so hard he knew he they wouldn’t finish unscathed.

“Oh... oh my god. You’re going to make me cum.” Lance panted, hips moving in sync with Shiro.

“It’s okay. You can come as much as you’d like. I’ll indulge you as long as I’m able to.” Shiro said, and then he stopped pulling all the way back, instead driving into Lance’s bundle of nerves repeatedly with slow, deep thrusts, occasionally circling his hips in a way he knew will make Lance scream in ecstasy.

“Oh, shit. Oh… Shiro, Shiro…”

“Do you like it like this? When I ram it to you slow and deep?” Shiro grunted, feeling Lance’s walls tightening around him when he hit the spot just right.

Lance’s cock twitched in interest when he saw Shiro, with his eyebrows burrowed while he was so focused – focused on making him feel good and loved, and his cheeks colored rosy red from exertion. He nodded, not trusting his brain to come up with anything coherent at the moment, not when Shiro keep pounding into him like Lance was his last.

Shiro ran his hand through Lance’s hair, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his temple and propped himself on his elbows on either side of his head. “Does it feel good, baby?”

And, oh, holy shit, Lance almost come right at that moment because – did Shiro just called him baby? He threw his head back and clenched around Shiro, shouting a chorus of yes’s. “Are you going to knot me? I want you to knot me,”

Shiro stilled for a second, and pulled his hips a bit, watching as Lance’s blissed out face warped into confusion.

“Shiro…?”

And then he slammed back into him, fucking Lance as hard as he could, making Lance’s breath caught in his throat and he let out a quiet scream. One of his hand sneaked down to hold Lance’s thigh up so he could get a better angle before throwing it across his shoulder.

“Do you even know what you’re talking about Lance?”

“I want you to knot me.” Lance said between gasps, hips meeting every thrust Shiro gave him. “I want you to mess me up.”

“Shit.” Shiro growled, his teeth making itself at home on Lance’s neck, biting harder than he intended to as the rhythm of his hips stuttered for a bit. With one, harsh thrust to Lance’s abused prostate, Lance let out a filthy sound before his whole body shook with pleasure as he came untouched, spilling all over their chest and stomach. When his hole tightened he could feel Shiro’s knot growing, signaling that he was close too.

“Shiro, touch me please,” he sobbed, nails now scratching into of his shoulder blades. Shiro obliged, of course. Lance looked so pretty crying and begging for his touch, so Shiro milked him for all his worth, hand moving along his shaft until there was nothing left to come out of his now flaccid cock. He paused on his movement when Lance whimpered at the over sensitivity, placing a gentle kiss right under his eye.

“Can I keep moving?”

“…Are you going to cum in me?”

“Of course, baby, if that’s what you want.”

Shiro smiled as Lance nod, reduced to a whining and whimpering mess as Shiro quickened his pace again before he felt the telltale of his climax. It took every fiber in his body to resist the temptation to thrust even harder and just mess Lance up until he couldn’t walk the next day – to mark his inside with his shape, making him sure he knew who he belonged to. He found that he couldn’t hold it in, not with the feeling of Lance’s thighs around him, his arms locking his head in place, so he pushed harder, hips moving in uncontrolled speed and lance keened, still oversensitive, but Shiro couldn’t hear him over the sound of his own breathing and the rush of blood in his ears. He moved harder and faster like he was afraid to lose him – to lose Lance. Shiro gripped his hips tight until he knew it’d leave a mark when his movement stuttered. He saw a burst of white behind his eyelids as he came hard and deep inside Lance, stilling and not moving an inch whilst he emptied himself inside the wet heat clenching around him almost as if encouraging him to keep cumming and to fill him to the brim.

He felt his knot growing in size, keeping him in place and Lance squirmed, trying to get himself comfortable. He looked up at him, eyes lidded and blown with lust, his breath short and hard, and Shiro couldn’t resist to kiss him. when their lips met, all the vigour and hunger had been washed up clean, replaced by adoration and love. He breathed Lance in, letting the guy to fill his lungs and his entire being.

And when he drew back, he watched as Lance’s smile widened, bright and contagious, and he knew, everything will work out just fine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello sorry for the short and slow update. japan is hot,, like its almost 100 outside and my room never use the air conditioner so i dont want to spend hours inside that sauna writing...lmao
> 
> either way this chapter is just pure smut,,,, i honestly know nothing abt sex so yeah, ive never written smut before this fic!! sorry if its awkward!! this is also the longest fic i've ever written... wow.  
> also, a little plot in the end to keep this fic going  
> thank you though for reading>_<
> 
> sydmish on tumblr made this beautiful [fanart](https://sydmish.tumblr.com/post/175259610682/so-i-found-this-beautifully-written-shance-fic) for the pool scene its so pretty!!!!!!!!! please check it out!!

Lance wasn’t sure at what time he finally woke up, but outside the sun was hanging high just beyond his bedroom window. He was certain the bright sunlight streaming from the window had been what had woken him up, so he rolled around to his side when he felt it – his whole body was drenched in sweat and… aching in all the _wrong_ places. He kicked away the blanket and curled into himself, one hand pressing into the throbbing pain just right on his abdomen. His other hand searching around the sheet for a touch – for _someone_ , and he settled on feeling disappointed and irritated when he realized he was alone in bed.

His emotions have gone haywire he didn’t even know what he was feeling. He was sad, angry, _hungry_ ; everything was jumbled inside of his head like a whirlwind of hormones. The pillow smelled like Shiro; sweet, delicious, wonderful. Lance inhaled the enthralling scent, and with a soft whine, he grinded his crotch against the bed like a bitch in heat.

Wait.

Lance picked himself up abruptly, ignoring the dull pain across his body as he scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, his eyes were hazy, his heartbeat has quickened, and the unmistakable need to create a nest from everything that smelled like Shiro…

As the realization hit him, he tumbled back into bed, and then started to cry because, shit, it hurt so _much_. He had no idea what to do, or how to make a nest, or how to relieve himself because his previous heats were years ago and now he was so horny and was left all alone by himself.

“Shiro…” he sobbed into the mattress, whining, calling for his alpha, or anyone, really. Anyone who could relieve him from whatever this was. His hand traveled down his torso to palm through his wet boxer, the pressure giving him a full body shudder.

His heat had come a few days earlier than he anticipated, and it wasn’t that much of a surprise, honestly, with all the shenanigans he and Shiro have been up to the previous night. But he had expected Shiro to be right next to him when it started, and now he was livid at him for leaving him to suffer alone in this too wide bed.

Nothing could shake him from his daze. He kept murmuring Shiro’s name over and over – and rubbed himself with the pain in his mind, as if it could help ease the ache just like that. Just as he was about to swallow a deep, hurting groan, the door banged open, and then the scent hit him, sending goosebumps all over his body.

“Lance?” Shiro breathed out, panting like he just ran through a flight of stairs just to get there.

Lance could barely respond; looking at Shiro over his shoulder and whimpered weakly, arching up his back in submission. Everything around them was bathed in a soft, nurturing scent.

“Lance – are you – ?” Shiro’s breath was caught in his throat as he slammed the door shut, and Lance could hear the sound of a lock clicking shut. _Yes, yes, come here, help me, Alpha._ “Lance… oh god, I’m sorry, I was just picking up breakfast for…”

Lance merely shook his head, beckoning Shiro to come closer. He squeezed his hand to pull him closer to him, the emotions shown in his gray eyes doing as much to make his heart race as he had done the previous night. He pushed himself up, fingers fisting into the fabric of Shiro’s shirt as his whole body trembled at the sight of his alpha – at the mouthwatering scent wafting around them.

And then there was this agonizing pain in his stomach again,

Before he threw up all over the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

“It hurtssss.” Lance all but hissed, crying into the pillow first thing after emptying his stomach into the sink. He clutched the sheet so hard it looked like it might tear as Shiro ran his hand comfortingly down his back.

“I know, baby. But you just gotta endure it. It’s your body way of getting rid of the excess chemicals from your previous suppressants.”

Lance coiled more into himself, sweating profusely, toes curling and uncurling into the bed as his back arched up to try to suppress the pain. It didn’t help that his body craved for Shiro – for his alpha to breed him; to fuck him senseless into the mattress but his mouth tasted like vomit and he was certain Shiro wouldn’t want to go anywhere near that.

Tilting his neck, Lance looked behind him to see Shiro trying to make a nest from the scattered pillows, one hand holding a bottle of energy drink. And a box of protein bars. Shiro smiled softly when they locked eyes, before he became more self-aware. “I… I don’t know how omegas… do… you know.” He tried, gesturing at the mess of pillows and shirts.

Lance felt himself snort into the sheet. His heart swelled with adoration. “I don’t know how either.” He licked his chapped lips then, watching as Shiro’s eyes diligently followed the movement.

“How are you feeling?”

“Awful.” Lance made a point by pressing his groin against the sheet, grinding against the impeccable mattress.

Shiro’s hand came to rest on his waist as he leaned into him more, crowding Lance against his body warmth, the heat burning his skin. Shiro’s scent and presence helped him calm down, and even though he was still a little dizzy, it didn’t hurt as much. Not when Shiro’s murmuring sweet nothings into his ear, the soft praises went straight into his spine and left him lax.

“You’ve done well,” Shiro said, nimble fingers making their way up his spine and stopped at his nape, making his skin tingle. “It’s going to be fine. Great, even. I’ll make you feel good. You don’t even have to do a single thing.”

Lance squirmed but leaned into the touch nevertheless. “But I’m gross.”

“You’re not. You’re beautiful, kitten.” Shiro whispered the words right into Lance’s ear, warm breath ghosting against his sensitive skin. “I’m going to help you now, if you’d let me.”

Lance nodded enthusiastically at the proposition, pressing back against Shiro’s chest. “Please,” he whimpered, sounding like the omega he is, his proud be damned.

With one swift motion Shiro yanked his shirt over his head and then he leaned in, brushing his lips against Lance’s nape in a soft caress. He climbed over Lance, bracketing his arms around him as he straddled Lance’s ass. It didn’t take long for the soft gesture to turn hungry; desperate. He began mouthing Lance’s nape desperately, sweeping his tongue out around the scent gland and pressed in with a hint of teeth.

Lance rolled his hips back when he felt Shiro’s hardness pressing against his backside, moving slightly in a circular motion that drove him mad.

The sound that escaped his lips was involuntarily – sweet and whiny and hypnotizing, in a way.

Shiro growled his answer, grounding against him more, pressing his body flush against the omega underneath him. It was a fight against instinct now, and Lance sure as hell knew who’d won.

They moved together, just like that. Determined. Fraught. Desperate for some relief. Shiro’s grunting was hoarse and low on his throat and it was the hottest thing Lance had ever heard. It was embarrassing because he’d been moaning like a pup the entire time, a sound so unlike himself it made his head spin in weird directions. He looked over his shoulder and was met with such intense, needy gaze that sent spark all over his frame.

“Shiro…” he called. He opened his mouth and Shiro eagerly bent over for a bruising kiss, welcoming Shiro’s tongue into his. One of Shiro’s hand reached over to his lips and he swallowed around his digits, relaxing his jaws more to take both Shiro’s fingers and his tongue. The wet sound echoed around the quiet of the room but really, Lance couldn’t careless about the technical stuff. Not when Shiro’s treating him roughly and not unlike the first time they made love. Lance loved it. Loved the way his fingers curled against his throat, or the way he quickly stripped his boxer brief to free Lance out of the restricting fabric. He loved the roughness; loved the way Shiro handled him like a thing, and not some kind of porcelain doll.

His fingers left his mouth to explore the rest of his skin, tracing his side, his ribs, his hips, where he squeezed tightly – no doubt leaving a moon-shaped indents, – before wandering towards his backside, groping and kneading the soft flesh of his ass.

Lance gasped at that, mouth hanging open and eyes squeezed shut when he felt Shiro’s fingers between the cleft of his ass, probing against his entrance. He jolted upwards, body spasming at the action, his whole body now pliant like jelly. Shiro’s other hand ran up and down his stomach, a warming, gentle stroke that sent butterflies flying inside him.

“Does it still hurt?” Shiro pressed his lips to Lance’s spine, making the smaller man tremble.

“Mm… not really.” Lance’s answered, accompanied by a breathy gasp and a short shake of his head.

Shiro hummed appreciatively as he slid one finger over Lance’s rim, feeling him twitch around his finger. “You’re so wet… so good for me.” His other hand was still caressing lightly on his abdomen, making him sigh.

Lance could barely keep his hips up – it felt _so good_. Sure, sex in general is good, but he’d never had sex while in heat before and just with the whole preparation, he felt so content and high on Shiro’s scent, his warmth, his _everything_. He was impatient for more, to feel the real thing, to get his alpha into a rut. He kept whining and gasping as Shiro added more fingers, curling them, scissoring them against his insides and reaching into the spot that made him scream, made his toes curl into the sheet. He clenched around them, pushing back against Shiro’s hand in a pathetic attempt to get off.

He heard the low rumble emitting from Shiro as he pulled his fingers away, and Lance almost complained at the loss before he was being roughly manhandled into laying on his back, panting lightly at the intrusion. “Shiro…”

Shiro’s eyes were dark and blown wide, face red and chest heaving violently. He cradled Lance’s face, kissing his eyes, his nose, licking into his mouth before settling down his neck to breathe him in. Lance moaned quietly, humping against Shiro’s thigh as the alpha pulled back and brought his fingers back to Lance’s ass. He swiped them against his leaking entrance and licked his fingers clean while keeping his eyes locked with Lance’s. Lance whined at that, tilting his head up as he squirmed, hoping his alpha to just… fucking get on with it.

His prayer was miraculously answered when Shiro put his hand on him, urging his hips up to Shiro’s laps. He felt the head of Shiro’s cock against his rim before it pushed inside him slowly, languidly. Lance moaned, fingers tightening in the bed’s sheet, his body taut before he came with a shout. He relaxed almost immediately after, panting, feeling Shiro hardening inside him.

When he finally got himself together from the afterglow, he lifted his head up to see Shiro watching him with wide eyes, looking awestruck. “Lance…” he breathed, and Lance would’ve feel a slight bit embarrassed if he wasn’t hit by another wave of arousal, his cock twitching back in interest. He moved his hips back, sheathing Shiro fully inside him and the two of them let out a breathy gasp.

“C’mon…” Lance drawled, licking his lips. “Move.”

Shiro’s hands were everywhere on his skin, skimming, reaching for him like he was desperate. He kissed him wetly in the mouth before obliging, pulling out of Lance before pushing back in, the muscle of his stomach rippling perfectly as he moved. Lance rolled his hips back to meet Shiro’s thrust, the head of Shiro’s cock brushing against his good spot with every drive, leaving him a mess around Shiro’s alpha cock.

He couldn’t even bother to suppress his moan this time, mouth gaping open all the time, his body too weak to react properly. It was like he had no control over himself anymore, just letting the intense pleasure and feelings of satisfaction to remind him of where he was.

“Come inside,” Lance said with a long-drawn moan. “Fill me with your seed, Shiro, I want to have your babies,”

Shiro snarled, picking up the pace and practically pounding into Lance at this point. He gripped his hips, pulling him away from the pillow. His ‘ah’s were starting to get louder, skin feverish and breath heavy. He felt a pull – a good kind of pull –  at the bottom of his stomach, knotting his insides and sending him to the edge. “Ah – I’m – I’m gonna come again, Shiro!” he wailed, his nails making their home at Shiro’s back.

Shiro reached for his cock, grabbing the shaft as he pulled out of Lance, and Lance swore he was crying but then Shiro flop him onto his hands and knees before plunging himself back without any hesitation. The bed was creaking underneath them, and Lance was screaming again as he came, wet and hot against the bed. Shiro was still moving behind him even when as he grew limp and whimpering from the oversensitivity, the drag of his cock rough and cluttered, but not entirely unpleasant. It lit a fire inside of him that burnt him inside and out. Shiro didn’t last long after that, not when Lance clenched around him like he wanted to keep him _there_ , connected to him, always. Shiro’s knot grew in size, stretching him to the brink and Lance couldn’t think, couldn’t remember where he was or what he was supposed to do, except for Shiro, Shiro’s knot in him, filling him, and he wanted Shiro to claim him, make him his.

Warm hand cupped his nape before he heard a distinctive ‘crunch’ sound, followed by Shiro’s low, guttural growling.

“Wh-Wha…?”

His arms were shaking trying to support him but he looked behind, immediately Shiro’s eyes met his in a heated gaze when it clicked. There was an apparent smell of blood wafting in the air. Shiro had bitten into his own hand. To keep himself from marking Lance.

“Shiro…?”

Shiro detached his lips from his hand, a pained pinched on his face as he gritted his teeth. “You… you didn’t.... You never told me about wanting to be bond so – “

Now that the fog inside Lance’s head had been cleared and he became coherent again, he stared at his husband with wide eyes, heart racing faster with something other than lust. “But you could have just… you don’t need my permission to –“

“I do.” Shiro said firmly. He nuzzled against Lance’s neck, brushing his nose into his scent gland. “I love you, Lance. But I’m not sure we’re ready.”

Lance swallowed around his dry throat, blinking. It’s true – somewhere in the deepest part of his heart he was scared of this; bonding – becoming someone’s mate. Mating means a lifetime commitment, and Lance wasn’t sure he was ready for that. No matter how much it ached to have his alpha bite deep into him, he wasn’t sure he’s not going to regret it as soon as his heat ended.

“Are you… okay?” Shiro asked when Lance didn’t respond, hands gently kneading his ass cheek. His fingers lightly brushed against where they were connected and Lance shivered in delight, pushing his ass back to Shiro’s hips.

“Yeah. Fucking good, even.” Lance said, voice a little on the hoarse side. Shiro hummed contently, sucking on Lance’s gland and Lance moaned, rocking them together. It burned a little, the friction, because Shiro’s knot was huge and Lance wasn’t sure how long it’d stay like that, but fuck if it didn’t feel good. His scent filled the air, sweet and thick like honey, mixed with Shiro’s own, calming and reassuring. He breathed in it like it was a drug. He playfully pressed a finger against the bulging in his stomach, squirming lightly at the sensation. “Honestly the best dicking I’ve ever had.”

When Shiro laughed they both shook with it, and then both wincing from the pain. To waste time, Shiro kept sucking hickeys down Lance’s back, the deep purple color blooming perfectly on his tanned skin. Shiro’s knot deflated a while later, and then Shiro ate him out until he couldn’t function properly as a human and needed Shiro to feed him and help him stay dehydrated.

Honestly the best ever.

 

* * *

 

 

Waiting for the next heat waves was torture because when he wasn’t horny, he would continue to throw up, and then he would want to have sex with an empty stomach (which Shiro didn’t allow, and god, this man could definitely hold his hanker). In short, except for the after-sex bliss and Shiro’s huge ass dick, his heat was a week of constant pain in the ass. No pun intended.

Shiro was laying on his side, skimming his fingers over Lance’s pecs while occasionally pressing into few spots that would the omega sigh in content. Lance’s eyes bored into his, eyelashes fluttering slowly, catching the glowing light peeking from behind the curtain. They were both sticky and probably didn’t smell their best, but there was still something in the way Shiro looked at him, in the way his breathing would stutter slightly whenever Lance’s hand would brush against the short hair below his navel.

"How's your stomach?" Shiro inquired after a moment of silence.

"It's probably better now... I think. I'm not that nauseous anymore." Lance mused, hand stroking down heated skin.

"What did you consumed for the rest few years anyway? Is it really safe?"

"It's... you know, the kind of suppressant athletes consume before playing season..."

"But they don't eat them straight for years, Lance. You're pushing yourself." Shiro said, inching closer until his breath tickled Lance's skin. They stared at each other unmoving, heated stare against another, fighting for dominance.

Lance cracked first, sitting up straight before shoving his tongue down Shiro’s mouth impatiently. He pressed his weight into Shiro, the bigger guy groaning but didn’t move away, instead he placed his hands on Lance’s shoulders, pulling him flush on top of him. they kissed sloppily, wet and open mouthed, and it didn’t take long for Shiro’s cock to stir back to its glory, Lance taking it full in his palm. He took a deep breath to focus himself, one hand working himself open while the other stroking Shiro to his full length. Not that it’d take long, he had just pounded into Lance not a few minutes ago, after all.

“You okay to continue?” Shiro asked between kisses, between Lance peppering his face with soft kisses.

Lance smirked triumphantly, pushing himself up to straddle Shiro’s laps with his hand on his broad chest. “The question is – are you?” Shiro had gone into rut exactly two times since the beginning of his heat, but nothing more than that. It was satisfactory for both of them, but also tiring, at the same time. Shiro was already rough and big without the rut, not that Lance was complaining.

“I’m not that old.” Shiro scoffed, lifting his ass up to grind against Lance.

Lance threw his head back and hummed, moving back and forth undulatingly. Shiro’s grip was tight on his hips, definitely going to leave a mark. “Don’t tease.”

Lance sat up on his knees, lining up Shiro’s cock against his hole, feeling the leftover cum and slick flowing out wetting his thighs. Rubbing the head around the hole for a bit, watching as Shiro’s expression slowly morphed into one of impatience. He was still warm inside, twitching and clenching around nothing before he slowly sat down on Shiro’s cock in one sitting.

They both let out a punched-out groan at the sudden intrusion, Shiro instinctively bucking his hips up and Lance’s arms shook slightly, almost falling flat onto his chest.

“Fuck, Lance,” Shiro gritted his teeth, nails digging into the soft skin of Lance’s sides.

Lance grinned, looking down at Shiro like he owned him (he probably did, at the moment) before leaning back with one hand braced on the mattress behind him. he began moving, stirring back and forth at first before lifting himself a bit and slamming back down, watching as Shiro slowly lose his mind. It was easier to get Shiro deeper in this position, making him hit his spot head-on.

“I want you to eat me out again later,” Lance said between pants, his untouched cock bouncing up and down in front of his stomach. “You’re good at it.” Shiro seemed to be really into putting his mouth to work, and Lance had to admit that he was a godsent at it.

Shiro’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he muttered, “Jesus,”

“Nope, it’s just me, good ol’ Lance,” Lance said cockily, riding Shiro faster, patience growing thin at the promise of Shiro’s tongue inside of him. He used one of his hands to stroke himself, shifting his weight to one hand. He could feel Shiro twitching inside of him, and once he was sure Shiro was close, he leaned in forward, grounding himself deep and kissed Shiro loudly in the mouth.

His own cum splattered down Shiro’s stomach and he rubbed it down with his hands, marking him with his scent.

“Baby…” Shiro moaned, wounding his arms around Lance, shivering and twitching beneath him.

“Mmhm,” Lance put on a satisfied smile, stroking Shiro’s cheek lovingly and wondered how he could get this _lucky_.

 

* * *

 

 

His heat lasted for two weeks. _Two weeks_. That means two weeks of Shiro fucking him and not going to work, which obviously pushing it too far. Two days after his heat, Lance was too weary and done in to see him off, no matter how much he still craved for Shiro’s touch and attention as a side effect of the heat.

He climbed out of the bed around noon, pretty sure smelling of sex and slick. They didn’t bother to put up a scent blocker around the room, and the people working on his house had been giving him curious glances and he wasn’t sure what to feel, especially as they served him lunch.

He took a long bath, trying to subdue the smell, even though he knew it was futile. It’d take at least three days for his scent to come back to normal and he’d be able to leave the house and not attract attention. Though it’d be easier if Shiro were to bite him and mark him as his…

Lance shook his head at the thoughts, hugging himself and made his way to Shiro’s study. Even though it’d only been a few hours, he missed Shiro so much, after weeks of being in close proximity with the alpha. He found tranquility at being a space that was bathed in Shiro’s scent. Even though there was a tinge of an odd smell floating around the room as he walked inside…

Lance stopped dead in his track, because someone was sitting leisurely on the loveseat – someone who definitely not Shiro.

“Shiro? Where did you hide the remote – “ the someone lifted his head, turning around facing him, round indigo eyes widening as they landed on Lance’s. He was pale, probably a few inches taller than Lance, with jet black hair framing his pretty feature. “ _Who_ are you?” the stranger snapped, thick eyebrows pulled taut together.

Lance placed a hand across his chest, mouth parting open as he tried to form words. Wh- who is this rude guy?! “ _Me?!_ Who are _you?!”_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all i'd like to apologize to adam.......... i'm sorry i lvoe shance too much...   
> and then to you guys for what's going to happen in this chapter... 
> 
> (this chapter isnt beta'd or proofread. i'm jsut too lazy. it's hot. enjoy your summer guys.)

Lance watched as the stranger rose from the seat, as he – with his bright red rider jacket and tight leather pants that clung around his calf like a second skin – gazed up and down at Lance with a critical look in his eyes. The man – he was a weird enthralling beauty, Lance noted, that was uncommon for an alpha. He was just a few inches taller than Lance, body built but not as wide as Shiro or his brother, with pale skin that practically glowed against the afternoon light. A few months ago, maybe, Lance wouldn’t even think twice to try and hit him up.

Lance let a frown to slowly form on his face as the stranger did nothing but scrutinize him. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” he tried again, clearing his throat.

The dark-haired guy lowered his brows, eyes blinking repeatedly as he slowly came down to a realization. “Oh, it’s you. You’re Shiro’s omega bride.” The way he said it was a bit dry; mocking, and then he creased his nose like he was disgusted, and Lance fought back the urge to snarl. “You _reek._ ”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Lance stepped forward inside the room, the intimidating scent of an unmated alpha whirled around him but he wasn’t deterred. It smelled strongly of peppermint; reminded him of his father’s odd tasting toothpaste.

The other alpha scoffed, ignoring Lance completely as he made his way to the desk, rummaging through the drawers like he owns the place.

“Wh – What are you doing?!” Lance screeched, uneasy. “Oi, mullet!”

“What did you call me?” The alpha’s head popped up, his face flickering briefly with mirth.

“You. With the stupid hair. I didn’t catch your name, cowboy.” Lance said with a click of his tongue, shifting on his feet. “You can’t just – come barge in into my house and went through Shiro’s things like that – “

“This,” the man straightened and turned around, facing Lance with his hands folded in front of him. “Is Shiro’s house.” He opened a drawer under the desk and rooted around for a minute, then pulled out a small fountain pen.

“He’s – He’s my – “ Lance licked his lips and swallowed around his throat. “We’re married.”

“Oh _please_. You’re not the first person I’ve seen here in this house parading around with a ring on your finger.” The dark-haired man said, once again focusing back on his previous task. “Though I have to say I’m surprised he went through the whole marriage thing with you, a male omega, of all people.”

Lance was silent. There was something on the man’s tone that made his bones ache. “What are you talking about?”

“What, you saying you don’t know?” the man’s lips lifted at the corner, forming a nifty smirk Lance decided he hated.

“I mean, I know he had suitors before but – “

“He was engaged a few times, but never went through with anyone. Until you, apparently.”

Lance pressed his lips together. Hearing the information from another person is different than knowing first hand, and Lance wasn’t sure what to make of it. So he relaxed his stance, tried to make himself appear as indifferent as possible. “I guess I’m just that irresistible, huh?”

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, making a few steps before cornering Lance against the nearest wall. “You’re scrawny. Too fucking skinny. An omega, and a male one on top of that. I thought Shiro was better than that.” He said. “And as far as I know, political marriages don’t last long.”

“You got something against omegas, Billy Ray Cyrus?” There was something in those deep indigo eyes of his that forced Lance to submit, like a strong current in a shallow pool, but Lance refused to yield. He tilted his chin up, facing the man head on. “Or do you… have… for Shiro – “ a hand grabbed his chin the exact moment those words left his mouth, forcing his head up to look straight into dark, angry eyes.

“You better watch that pretty mouth of yours.” He growled, sharp nails digging into tan skin. “Shiro is like my _brother_. I want what’s best for him – and I intend to get rid of anything that’d prove to be a threat. That’s all you need to know.”

“Ouch – jesus!” Lance shrieked, swatting his hand away. “Did no one ever teach you any manner?”

The guy rolled his eyes but backed away, and so did Lance. The omega sneered, folding his arms before looking away. The guy was good-looking, yes, but he was acting like the typical smug alphas and Lance absolutely loathed it. He’d been a fine young specimen if it wasn’t for the attitude and crude mouth of his.

“Where is Shiro?” said the guy, crossing his arms. “I texted him before but he didn’t reply.”

“It’s Tuesday. He’s at work.”

“Last I checked he hasn’t been at work for a week – …oh.”

“Well, he’s at work now.” Lance said, the tip of his ears growing warm. “Maybe you should do a double check.”

“That explains the smell.” The guy murmured, bringing his gaze elsewhere.

Lance wheeled to a stop at the middle of the room, mouth agape. “Now let me get this straight,” he said in a deep, guttural voice, finger poking at the man’s chest. “You don’t smell that good either, and I’m pretty sure you haven’t wash whatever it is you’re wearing for _weeks_ because I can tell from miles – “

Mullet guy jumped up and seized Lance’s wrist, eyes lowered in disgruntlement. “Why are you talking back to me?”

“What, I can’t?” he spat back.

Mullet guy raised one of his perfectly thick eyebrows, engaging Lance in a stare-down. The two of them stood staring down at each other for a moment, until the guy couldn’t take it anymore.

“This is stupid.”

“You’re stupid!”

The guy snorted out a low chuckle, slowly letting go of Lance’s wrist. “Nice comeback.”

Lance opened his mouth, about to honor this asshole with a _good comeback_ when he heard footsteps and felt the familiar, homey scent that immediately gave him goosebumps. His attention shifted, head whipping to the direction of the door where Shiro stood, out of breath.

“Keith!” Shiro barged into the room, one hand holding his phone with its screen still alight. “What is this?” he asked, looking at the two of them critically. He instinctively stepped closer to Lance, wrapping his hand around Lance’s wrist to pull him into his space. Something shift in the air – protectiveness, Lance dully noted. “I rushed here immediately after I read the text – I can’t believe you just – “

“Just what? Come announced? But that’s what I always do. This is like, my second home. Is it because there’s an omega now?” Keith sighed, putting his hands on his hips. Lance felt bad for him, and also, maybe, a little scared. “Why don’t you introduce me to this… nosey spouse of yours then?”

“Keith… you know it’s different now.” Shiro carefully enunciated.

“Ohhh.” Keith said, looking at Shiro, then at Lance, his face a façade of seriousness. “You like him, don’t you?”

Shiro blushed, a faint pink that complimented his pale skin nicely. With a tired exhaled he rubbed his face before gesturing at Keith with his hand. “Lance, this is Keith. He’s my friend. My best friend.”

“His _only_ friend.” Keith added, a playful grin adorning his expression. He was open with his expression now, so different from a few moments ago. Lance wondered if Shiro had anything to do with his mood shift. He turned to Lance then, expression nonchalant. “Sorry I missed your _grand wedding_. I just got back from Venice this Sunday.”

“How was the meeting? Everything okay?” Shiro asked, the conversation changed into a topic Lance couldn’t put his hands on; something about work-related stuff, he guessed. Shiro pressed the two of them closer as he talked with Keith, his hand let go of Lance’s wrist to make its home around his shoulders. It was weirdly intimate, with someone else in the same room as them, but not that he’d complain. In fact, he liked the show of possessiveness, now that he knew in-depth just how comforting Shiro’s touch is. He ached for the same touch again, that gentle caress, his mouth, his teeth, his tongue melding with his again. His face grew hot with desire as Keith spoke, completely oblivious.

“The meeting went well, but we had to make some adjustments with the outcome that won’t get me chewed out by the main office – you know, your _brother_.”

Shiro pursed his lips in thought. His fingers absent-mindedly played with the hair in the back of Lance’s neck, the pads tickling against the sensitive skin of his nape. Lance tried to muffle a whimper.

“Uh, Is your omega okay?” Keith asked. His attention shifted back to Lance, wide scrutinizing eyes watching him like a predator on his prey.

“Fine.” Lance said. It was impossible to push his desire out of his mind, especially while still being heat-sensitive. He pulled himself away from Shiro, making a comfortable distance between the two of them. “Just still a little antsy, I guess.”

Shiro patted his hand. “Lance, I’m sorry, I should’ve told you – “

“No, no,” Lance raised his hands defectively, smiling. “You guys continue talking business, I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Without looking back he closed the door on his way out and climbed down the stairs slowly.

“He still smells like he’s in heat.” A voice said in a whisper, muffled by the door. But Lance heard it. It was Keith. Shiro murmured something back.

“It’s already finished, Keith. It’s… it’s complicated, alright?”

Complicated. Lance knew with a sinking heart that the side-effects from the suppressants were still pretty apparent. He lifted his arm and took a sniff. It was as if someone spritzed him with some serious vanilla musk cologne. He tuned out the rest of Shiro and Keith’s conversation as he finally reached the end of the stairs.

That was when Shiro barged through the door. “Lance.”

“Um. I was just – “ Lance started to say.

“Leaving,” Shiro finished for him. “No one asked you to.”

“Keith didn’t want me there.” Lance said.

Shiro jumped through a flight of stairs, grabbed Lance by the hand and pulled him flush against his chest. Wrapping his arms lazily around his narrow waist, Shiro nuzzled into his soft brown hair, breathing in the familiar scent of sweetness emitting out of his omega. “We haven’t had the chance to talk about your heat and now you’re leaving?”

Lance flushed bright red, cheeks growing hot despite the cold. “Oh. What’s there to talk about…?”

“I just… feel bad about leaving right after, you know…”

With a fond smile, Lance pressed his thumb to Shiro’s nose in a soft bop. “Don’t be. I understand you have your own responsibility in place of being my alpha, and my heat is done, completely, so there’s probably nothing more you could possibly do anyway.”

“That’s true but I still want to be together with you… somehow. All the time.” Shiro said without a thought, casually rubbing a hand over Lance’s stomach just below his navel. Lance heaved a relaxed sigh but didn’t say anything more, content on just staring down on Shiro’s deep grey eyes, their warm breath mingling together in the small gap between them.

“I might had been… a bit too rough? How are you feeling?” one of his hand slipped down to cup Lance’s ass, and he might’ve let out a small gasp at the touch.

“Are you serious?” Lance said, amused. Shiro didn’t smile with him, his frown set in a serious manner. Oh. Okay. Lance exhaled. “I’m fine, Shiro. Jesus. Probably more than fine. You didn’t hurt me, a little disappointing I might add. You’re hot when you’re being rough.” Lance said, voice dipping lower at the end of his speech, a finger teasingly dragging up and down his chest.

But Shiro merely frowned deeper, his face set hardened. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lance.” He made a point by grabbing Lance’s wrist and flipping his palm to face him, thumb smoothing over the scar where Lance cut himself open just a few weeks prior. “I want you to tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, alright?”

Lance just nodded dumbly, too focused on Shiro’s stern look to come up with a quip himself.

“And about the bonding thing I…”

“Hey, Shiro?” Keith appeared from around the corner, his cold, uninterested gaze landed on Lance for a fleeting second before focusing back on Shiro. “I actually came to talk to you about that brother of yours. And some… technical stuff.”

Lance peeled away from Shiro with a hand across his chest and tried to free himself from the grip.

“Oh, I’ll be right with you Keith. Just… give me a moment.”

Keith spared one more look at Lance before shrugging away, leaving the couple behind as he staggered back upstairs to the study.

“You should probably go talk to him. That _technical stuff_ sounded important.”

“Lance…”

“I’ll see you at dinner.” He gave one last lingering look at the direction of the staircase leading to the study “Hopefully just you.”

Shiro hunched over, sighing. “Baby, Keith is,,. He’s a little difficult. He doesn’t really like omegas – “

“Obviously, but no need to be a complete asshole about it too.”

“He’s just shy. He’s a great guy once you get to know him better. Just wait. He’ll warm up to you eventually too. You’re an amazing person, Lance.” Shiro ran his hand over Lance’s cheek, smoothing his thumb down the soft skin. Lance keened at the attention, leaning into the touch – he couldn’t possibly stay mad if Shiro kept throwing bombs like that.

“I hate that I’ll believe anything that came out of your stupidly gorgeous lips.”

“Thank you baby.”

“Anytime.”

Shiro leaned in to kiss him one last time before he too, disappeared upstairs.

 

* * *

 

 

Usually, Lance liked having company for dinner. Keith was just not the kind of company he’d appreciate. The conversation was one-sided and would eventually left him out. Keith would act like he didn’t exist, but then he’d brought his gaze to Lance like he was calculating something in that tiny brain of his, before continue talking to Shiro animatedly. Lance hated that passive aggressiveness, so he ate faster than usual. He finished first, left the dining table to sat down at the bar counter. He read a book, glancing every once in a while at the glass door and at Shiro. Shiro smiled more than he ever did in a week, and while it upset him a little because Keith was the cause, he couldn’t help ogling at how handsome his husband is.

One by one, he reviewed every word they’d spoken that night. Mostly about business and some acquaintances. Lance couldn’t come up with anything.

Shiro told him Keith was the first and only friend he’d ever had. That sounded kind of sad, because Shiro was such a nice, caring person, but then he remembered about the accident and how it was hard for Shiro to trust anyone again, and he fell into a deep silent.

Shiro’s phone rang. He left the room to pick it up.

“What are you reading?”

Keith was lurking in the doorway with an indifferent frown. Lance would like to think he had overstayed his welcome, but Shiro seemed delighted with his presence, and Lance didn’t want to make Shiro sad. Especially if what Keith said was true; that they were as close as brothers. Shiro didn’t seem to enjoy the company of his real brother that much.

“What’s in it to you?” obviously he wasn’t that interested at Lance the whole dinner, and for him to suddenly start a conversation like he was asking about the weather… it pissed the hell out of him.

Keith rolled his eyes so hard Lance was worried it’d stay in the back of his head permanently.

Lance put down his book and looked at him. “It’s a novel.”

“Like… fiction?”

Lance showed it to him. Keith walked closer and flipped through it and handed it back. Lance was expecting some rude comments, but what came out of his mouth was light, casual. “Do you read a lot?”

“Uh. Not really. My sister used to force me to read her books so,” Lance said, blinking. “What about you?” the question came out involuntarily – Lance himself wasn’t sure why he asked.

Keith gave an impish smile. “I like books about space. And physics. I don’t mind reading to kill time.”

“Oh. Huh.” Lance flattened his hands on top of the smooth book cover. “Does Shiro… like to read?”

“Shiro reads popular stuff. Or anything you would recommend him.” Keith said, his tone dropping a little lower. “What is your goal with him?”

Lance whipped his head around. “What?”

“Why did you agree to marry him?”

“I – I didn’t – I was forced!”

“Yes, and what did you gain from the marriage?”

“Besides Shiro’s ass? I don’t know! Why don’t you ask my father about it?!” Lance hopped off the stool and stand up straight, an uncomfortable feeling creeping down his skin. Keith frowned at him, confused.

Again, even only in the slightest, his heart picked up as his eyes settled over Keith’s. It was overshadowed by a weird prowling feeling of fear and anger, but there was still a weird pull to his eyes and Lance… Lance appreciated good-looking people, alright? But as soon as Shiro came back it was as if something snapped and he brought his attention back to his husband. Better than to be stuck in a room with the rude jerk and his hideous haircut.

“Please don’t fight again,” Shiro said wearily, walking closer to the two of them, arms crossed in front of him.

“We’re not fighting! Keith here is just nosey!” Lance barked, gritting his teeth in spite.

Shiro sighed. “Keith, come on. You promised you’d be nice.”

“I’m trying.” Keith said, shoving his hands inside his jacket pocket. It looked warm.

“You’re not trying hard enough.” Lance quipped, latching into Shiro’s arm like a koala to a tree trunk.

Keith stared at him, shook his head, and turned to Shiro. “He’s funny.”

A look of surprise crossed Shiro’s face, then he quirked his eyebrows, lips forming a small smile. “He is.”

“We’ll be seeing each other often, Lance.” Keith said, with a small quirk of his mouth.

“I would rather not.” Lance bit back. Lance wanted to believe that too. Keith just chuckled like he couldn’t help it.

Shiro and Keith talked the entire night before it was late and Keith had to go home. Good riddance, Lance thought, but at the end of the day he didn’t really hate him that much, really.  

Shiro slept hugging him throughout the night, and Lance would like to think the day ended on a good note.

 

* * *

 

 

From then on, Keith came by the house almost every day. Sometimes they would go home from work with Shiro and the three of them would have dinner together. He kept bothering Lance with weird questions, more of than not about Shiro, and always went home somewhere past ten. Once, he brought back a box of expensive chocolate that Lance knew Lucy liked so much. It was generous of him, _too_ generous he might add.

“I just don’t like sweet things.” He had said that day, and Shiro just laughed it off like it was a usual occurrence. Lance wasn’t sure what to do with the chocolates.

Occasionally he’d call and invite him to lunch. Often they’d arrange to meet at a French restaurant near Shiro’s office. They would eat lunch and talk like old friends. Keith was still a little standoff-ish around him, but being near Shiro helped. When it was just the two of them, he’d ask stuff about Shiro and his family, and Lance couldn’t shake the thought that Keith actually had _feelings_ for Shiro. Feelings that goes beyond the façade of friendship between the two of them. He couldn’t read the emotions behind Keith’s eyes nor his too rare smiles. Whether he felt sad at Shiro choosing Lance over him, or not so sad, or maybe trying to get rid of Lance, he had no idea.

But Shiro wouldn’t do that to him now, would he?

Lance felt again like a helpless, confused teenager. He had no idea what he should do, what he should say. Shiro and Keith have known each other since they were a child, and been inseparable ever since. Lance was just the omega kid Shiro was married to when Keith was gone for a few months. He tried his best to stay calm and use his head, but it was hopeless. Even if Shiro had said that he loved him almost every night, Lance wasn’t sure what he should trust.

 _Don’t worry_ , a voice inside his head told him. _It’s all right._

Keith turned less into a jerk and more to an… itch. He was always just there, not really doing anything to disrupt him, but sometimes Lance felt an urge to get rid of him. he was completely in the dark regarding his life. He didn’t even know where he lived.

Shiro liked Keith’s company. They were coordinated, like they were meant to be together. Lance would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.

It was on a cold cloudy day when Keith showed up, alone, without Shiro. Lance was just done tending his bell pepper plants when his car stopped in the driveway.

“Shiro’s still at work.” Lance said simply, frowning. _And so should you_.

“I know.” Keith said. He was still wearing his suit with a loose tie around his neck.

“What do you need?”

“I figured I’d just be straight with you.” Keith said, taking a step forward. Lance instinctively backed a step.

“There’s nothing straight about you.” Lance teased, but there was an edge to his tone. His heart was hammering loudly in his chest. This was it. This was where Keith would tell him to fuck off, and that he’d been waiting for Shiro all this time and Lance was just a dirt in his path. And it’d be cool if Lance wasn’t an anxiety-ridden mess, but he knew his place, and he knew how close Shiro and Keith were even if he’d only seen them interact for a few weeks.

Keith grasped his wrist, pulling the two of them closer. Lance gasped, eyes widening at the proximity. He scoffed, and Lance could smell the scent of strong mint, cold and warm at the same time, reminded him of Christmas mornings. “I love Shiro,” he started, and Lance held his breath for what’s to come, “but he’s a fool for leaving an unmarked omega roaming around the place, especially one with a smell as intoxicating as you.”

And then he kissed Lance full on the mouth, so fast that the omega had not enough time to react but to gape at the offending male like a deer caught in headlights as he pulled back.

“I know Shiro didn’t court you properly. But I could.”

Lance stood frozen still, both hands within Keith’s grasps hanging in the air awkwardly between them. He didn’t feel like he was in his own body; that everything he believed in wasn’t real. What would become of him tomorrow, he didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a shance fic. strictly shance. just a simple reminder.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello season 7 hurt me (but i like the giant robot thingy, so cool.)

In the morning after seeing Shiro off to work, Lance went to the pool and swam his usual two thousand. He closed his eyes, imagined he was a fish. A dolphin, perhaps, as they were smarter than average fish. He imagined himself as a dolphin, floating through the water, with no need to think, not even about swimming. He stayed there for a while until his fingers started getting all pruney and the water warmed over the daylight sun.

Allura watched from the pool side, one arm draped around a shockingly pink flamingo float. “Is this new?” she was asking about the float.

Lance's head popped from underwater up to his chin. “Keith gave it to me because Shiro told him I like to swim.”

“It’s cute.”

“You can have it.”

“I can’t! It’s a gift!”

“Well I don’t need it!”

Allura lowered her red plastic sunglasses. “Have you tried rejecting him?”

Lance swam near the side, pushing himself up to fold his arms on the concrete. “He’s one stubborn ass.” He said, annoyed. Except – the longer Keith courted him, the less important it felt to actually say no to him. And the more his heart stung over Shiro’s complete obliviousness. How could someone with a bad haircut do that to him?

With his clear pale skin and smug grin, Keith was not any different from any alpha he’d ever known. Only, he exuded confidence, and not just because he knew he was an alpha – and could get everything he wanted – and knew Lance was a little helpless around him.

“I don’t blame him.” Allura stated casually, standing before him. she was blocking the sunlight, and something about the amused glint on her eyes made Lance pout. “You do realize you smell absolutely tempting, don’t you, Lance?”

Lance groaned. “Not you too! Come on, this is sooo weird. One moment I was this shitty goofball omega everyone made fun of, and then the next moment everyone keeps giving me looks like they want to eat me alive. That is – this is sexual harassment, you hear me? And stop sniffing!”

“I’m sorry sweetheart, couldn’t help it.” Allura said, placing a hand over her nose. She was still smiling, so Lance splashed water on her.

“It’s different with Shiro, though.” Lance murmured, looking out the garden and in plain view, a big oak tree that stood alone in the middle of the field. It looked like a perfect place for a picnic. Shiro had told him praises even before his heat, and even when his suppressant was still in working order. And Shiro was always careful with him, his voice soft and low, and not hungry like most alphas were. Whenever those lips would part, it’d sent butterflies in the pit of Lance’s stomach.

Remembering Shiro’s gentle eyes whenever he’d look at him, the touch of their noses, and the way he felt against him – all of it made him feel hot.

And guilty. He sighed and turned away, swimming to the other side of the pool.

Should he tell him about Keith? Even with all the gifts and the flower bouquet sent in his name, Shiro was still completely unaware. Did he really think Keith did all that just to mend a simple _friendship_? Did he really trust Keith that much?

Lance was almost jealous.

But still, what a fool he was for believing that Keith was that great of a guy. Or maybe it had something to do with his trauma, or maybe it was Lance’s fault for suddenly coming in between them. He really didn’t want to make Shiro sad, after all.

For ten days or so after the _kissing_ incident, all kind of gifts dropped by the house in his name. Up until then Lance had always wondered who on earth would possibly pull up such stupid stunt like courting a married person, and then this guy showed up. Shiro had just laugh at the stupidly big bouquet, and even went as far as putting it in a vase.

Now, don’t get him wrong. Lance had made it very clear that he wasn’t interested in Keith, but his all reasonings had gone unheard. 

“I feel really bad.” He said, after he pulled himself out of the pool, a big, fluffy towel around his lithe body. “I don’t want to keep this from Shiro, but I don’t want them to fight over it. After all, it’s just…me. I’m not worth years of their friendship.”

“You can’t say that. Shiro is in love with you.” Allura said, a hand sprawled on his back.

Lance chewed on his lips until it turned red. “I know. That’s why I don’t want him to choose me over Keith. Or the other way around. It’s just… wrong.”

Allura gave him a pitying look before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “You’re a really good kid, Lance. I’m so glad we’re friends. Shiro’s one lucky guy to have you.”

Lance smiled resignedly at that and shrugged. “Thanks.”

 

Next he showered, changed into a clean new shirt and shorts, and had a late lunch with Allura. Then after Allura had gone home for the day, he headed to his own room, mindlessly checking his emails and social media notifications. It was then when the phone rang. As usual, the one who’d contact him via land line was either his sister or his mother. (on a fortunate event, his father would too.)

It was Lucy.

“Hey!” Lance started lightly, leaning back against the armchair.

“Lance,” Lucy began, sounding a little hurried. “Did – Did father called you recently? Tony?”

“Uhh. Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

The voice on the other side let out a loud exhale of relief. “Nothing. Never mind.”

Lance straightened in his seat. “What’s wrong? What’s going on Luce?”

His sister was silence for a while, her breathing audible across the line.

“Luce…?”

“It’s just… have you seen the news lately? Dad’s been in a bad place… I mean, I don’t know, it’s politics, someone could’ve done this because they’re jealous of him, and the news would probably go away after a while, but – “

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Lance said, palm flat against the desk. He wished he could be next to her to put his hand around her shoulders. “Tell me what happens?”

“No, no… just some stuff flying around. You don’t have to worry about it but. Things like this travel fast, you know. And did you remember how much I hate everyone in law school? God. I hate them.”

“Hey, whatever it is, It’s just rumors.” Lance stated calmly. He made a mental note to check on the news sometime today. “C’mon, you’re stronger than this, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry.” Lucy said quietly into the line, after a long silence. “There’s just so much stuff going on lately.”

“You could tell me. We could hang out again, if you want.”

“Well. Tony and Miranda fought a lot lately. So much yelling. I usually just stay in my girlfriend’s house whenever they started having a heated discussion.”

Lance laughed quietly. “That’s not that much different than usual, is it?”

“But… they were never this… on edge before.” Lucy said. She sounded sad.

Lance was quiet for a moment. Suddenly she felt so far away, along with the rest of his family. Like they were no longer part of his life anymore…. Like he was growing up without them. He didn’t even remember the last time he’d been home. _Home_. This was his home now, Lance thought. As he resumed listening to her venting about his family (that stopped feeling like one), he could feel something inside him shaking. Was it helplessness or irritation? He couldn’t tell.

Silent. Lance continued to fidget.

“Hey… Isn’t there anything you want to tell me?” Lucy asked suddenly, breaking Lance out of his haze. “If something is bothering you, tell me. Even if it’s something that’s hard to talk about. If there’s anything I can do, just name it. I know I’m completely naïve about everything, but you’re… you’re my closest brother, and right now you’re not even here. And I… I don’t want to see the pained look on your face anymore.”

Lance shook his head, but then cleared his throat when he realized she couldn’t see him. “I’m… fine now. I like my place, and I love Shiro. Maybe sometimes I can’t keep up with his family and… ours, but I like them. I miss mine.”

“I miss you too.”

“Tell mama I miss her too, and her cooking. And it’s fine for her to come here, I don’t know why she’s so reluctant.”

“Maybe she’s just not ready to see her baby omega boy turn into a full grown male. You wanna talk about your heat?”

“God no.” Lance groaned, but then he laughed when she did.

 

* * *

 

 

“You said Keith hates omegas. _Are you sure_ ,” Lance said, fork in hand, lost in thought.

“Um, yes? What brought this on?” Shiro asked with a cute tilt of his head. He was sitting right across from Lance.

Lance recalled back to the conversation he had with Keith over the phone, with the alpha asking him a thoughtless question about his preferences and if he would prefer gold over silver. “Nothing, just wondering.” he continued to eat.

“I’m glad you guys are getting along well. It’s a little hard for him to make friends with that difficult personality of his, but I know you’ll charm him sooner or later.” Shiro smiled at him, warm, genuine, like he was proud of him – of Keith.

“Oh. _Haha_. Right.” Resting his fork on his plate of pasta, Lance laughed dryly. He drank some water, trying to find the right words. “But have he… gone out with an omega before?”

“Not that I know of. He told me he couldn’t stand their smell and how clingy they are.” His hand stopped midway putting some food into his mouth. A panic look crossed his face as he set down his own fork, brows creased as he look at Lance with mild concern. “N – not that you’re any of that thing, Lance. You’re not clingy or annoying, or…”

Lance bit into his lower lips, stifling a laugh. Shiro was so cute. He got bubbly for no reason. “I get it, Shiro. Relax.”

“No, Lance. I mean it. You’re easily the loveliest person I’ve ever laid my eyes on, omega or not. You have a wonderful personality, and…” Shiro trailed off as Lance’s foot made contact against his shin, toeing up to his knees under the table.

“And…?”

Shiro visibly swallowed. “And you always… always drives me…”

He was leaning in more against the table, carefully placing his fork down and propped his chin on his hands, gazing at his husband through his lashes. The look he gave him must’ve been downright sinful, because Shiro’s breath hitched, like he was choking.

“… Mad?” Lance continued with a downright naughty smile playing his lips, foot rubbing up and down Shiro’s calf in an inappropriate way that should _not_ be done during dinner.

Shiro’s lips parted in a sharp intake of breath and his eyes were predatory as they stared down at Lance’s, dark and blown and hungry – even with a full serving of food in front of him. Lance bit into his lips, a wave of goosebumps washing over his back.

“Gosh, Shiro, you’re such a charmer.” Lance teased, grinning triumphantly at how wrecked his husband looked. Then his smile fell a bit, to something smoother, warmer. “I missed you.”

“Me too,” Shiro answered just as low, one hand reaching for Lance’s on top of the table. “I’m sorry I’ve been busy these past few weeks… I don’t even know why – “

Lance brushed him off with a gentle wave of his hand. “You’re a busy man, I understand. My older brother is also like that, so I’m used to it.”

“But I’m not your brother. I’m your spouse.”

Lance flushed bright red, biting his lower lips to suppress a smile as he pushed himself up and sauntered to Shiro’s side of the table. He wrapped both his arms around Shiro, sitting himself down on his lap and rested his head on his shoulder. He could feel how soft Shiro was. It pushed against him warmly, insistently.

“I know. Maybe you should make it up to me?” he said, looking straight into a pair of dark gray eyes.

Shiro swallowed thickly and Lance smiled, pressing their lips together as he coaxed Shiro’s open slowly, deliberately. Shiro closed his eyes, not moving. Their tongues wound around each other, and Lance could feel Shiro’s heartbeat just below his chest, passionate and warm. He stroked his hair and drank all of his scents as Shiro’s hands wandered over his back, pulling them flush against each other. After a while Lance opened his eyes.

“Takashi,” he whispered. “Let’s go upstairs?”

Shiro was silent for a while, his breath lukewarm against Lance’s wet lips. “Actually… I have a better idea.”

 

* * *

 

 

Standing at the edge of the dining table, one knee propped on top of the dining chair Shiro groaned, hips flushed against Lance’s backside and fingers digging lightly at Lance’s hips. Lance felt firm and burning, every inch of Shiro’s dick completely sheathed inside him.

Lance was bent over completely on the tabletop, their unfinished dinner moved unceremoniously to the far end of the table. One of his hands gripped the edge of the table until his knuckle turned white while the other was linked with Shiro’s nails pressing against skin, forming indents at his hand.

“Lance,” Shiro grunted, with one free hand he pulled Lance’s ass higher and slid in a little deeper.

“God – you’re crazy.” Lance gasped, one leg losing its balance on the floor. Thankfully Shiro’s hand under him was steady. “Crazy _hot_. What if someone walked in huh? What then?”

“I don’t know.” Shiro answered breathily, placing open mouthed kisses on Lance’s bare shoulder. “We’ll see when we get to that point.” And then he drove forward, hips moving to fuck Lance against the table when Lance moaned.

“Fuck – Shiro… _Shiro,_ I thought – I thought you were a _good_ husband,” Lance said between his whimpering.

“This is me being a good husband.”

A pleased laugh left Lance’s lips as his body slowly beginning to relax, the stretching pain fading and morphing into pleasure. His moan he drew was high and long as Shiro kept hitting the good spot. And soon Lance had forgotten about being in the dining room, or that they weren’t exactly alone inside the house. All he could tell was the slow drag along his insides, the exact pull and push of Shiro’s hips against his ass, and every inch of Shiro that turned him into a mess.

Lance’s breath hitched when he rocked his hips back alongside Shiro, creating his own rhythm. Shiro leaned in, chest sliding along his back and nibbled on his ear, “You’re doing great, baby. So good.”

Lance keened, mouth parting but nothing came out, not when Shiro slid in even deeper. Fuck, was it even possible? The table rattled underneath them, the noises were definitely echoing around the quiet house but neither seemed to care. Shiro’s hips didn’t show any sign of stopping as he fucked in slow and steady.

Lance lifted his head, looking over his shoulder, eyes locking with Shiro’s clouded ones. His opened his mouth, tongue darting out in silent invitation before Shiro lurched forward, connecting their mouth together messily. It wasn’t even a proper kiss anymore, it was too ungainly, graceless, a sloppy mess. One of Shiro’s hand reached up to thread his fingers into Lance’s hair as they deepened the kiss, the movement of his hips turned slow and deep. Lance clenched around him, and Shiro let out a string of unintelligent curses. Shiro’s hand left his hips and roamed Lance’s chest, tweaking a nipple and making the omega shivered in pleasure.

“If you do that I’m gonna…” Lance groaned immediately as Shiro continued his ministration, marking a love bite onto his neck. “ _Takashi_ ,” Lance warned, feeling his body drew tighter, the flame on his abdomen grew hotter.

Shiro, realizing this, yanked Lance up by the shoulder until he was standing straight, Shiro fucking up into him harder and faster to chase his own release. His roaming hand found Lance’s cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts, Lance’s hips dipping down slightly to chase down the sensation. He could barely hold himself together.

“Fuck – Shiro!”

“You’ve been so good to me, baby, come on, give it to me,” Shiro whispered right into his ear, his voice a deep purr, a sensual trait only certain alphas could pull. Lance came with a full body shudder, toes curling, erupting all over the dining table, babbling Shiro’s name like he couldn’t get enough of it. Shiro fucked him through it, releasing deep into Lance, rubbing his insides with his seeds and supporting Lance until the guy slumped forward, bracing himself on the tabletop with his elbows.

They both stayed still, chest heaving, breathing hard into the stuffy room. Lance’s voice was completely wrecked when he muttered, “shit.”

Shiro pulled out of him slowly to turn Lance around, his thick release escaping Lance and dribbled down to the floor but neither seemed to pay attention, too lost in the glow, and in each other’s blissed expression.

“So cute…” Shiro murmured, eyes soft, brimming with adoration. His face was red, damp with sweat from the exertion. “I feel like I could just eat you up.” He said, tracing his fingers along Lance’s cheeks.

“Nooo.” Lance said playfully. “I’m too beautiful to die this young.”

“But I really do want to eat you up.” Shiro pursed his lips and bring his brows together as if he was weighing his options. Lance blushed at the implication, at how cute his husband looked, and at how much in love he was.

“Shiro, are you sure you’ve never had sex before me?” Lance asked casually, wrapping his legs around Shiro’s waist to pull him closer.

Shiro’s smile seemed to disappear entirely, frowns only deepened. “No… I… um… never. What’s wrong? A – Am I bad at it?”

“What – no!” pushing himself up on his elbows Lance sat up, looking straight at Shiro’s eyes. “I’m asking because… because you seemed like a whole other person when we’re doing it – and before you say anything, no, it’s not a bad thing. You’re just so goddamn sexy I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Oh…” Shiro brushed his nape sheepishly, the cute blush on his cheeks growing warmer. “It’s just like. An instinct… or something. I guess. Whenever I hold you I just… know what I’m supposed to do. How to keep you satisfied.”

Lance pulled Shiro closer to him and rubbed his cheek against him. His cheek felt warm. He brushed away his bangs and kissed his forehead, and looked into his eyes. He could see his own face reflected in them. Deep within his eyes, in the always bottomless gray, there was a faint light. Shiro smiled at him.

“I love you.” Shiro crooned. There were the usual small creases formed at the corners of his lips. Lance leaned up and kissed those tiny lines.

“I love you too.” And he did, really. Lance was head over heels at this point, he knew he would do anything for Shiro. He’d fight to keep them together. Yet he’d known since a while ago, something was missing. There was something lacking between them, and a part of him, the omega in him, was always hungry. There was a weird gap that even Shiro still couldn’t fill.

The important question is _what_ is missing.

 _I know Shiro didn’t court you properly. I could_.

Remembering Keith post having sex was something he wished he could avoid, but now that the stupid mullet had invaded his thought, his overall mood soured. The last thing he wanted was to recall what Keith had said to him after he kissed him. Realizing the change in mood Shiro tilted his head and whimpered quietly, nudging Lance’s cheek with his nose.

“Lance? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired.” Lance said, chirping softly to calm his alpha down. He and Shiro had taken so very long to arrive at this point, and the last thing he wanted to do was to admit what Keith said was right. “Let’s clean up and cuddle in bed?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Shiro said before scooping Lance up to carry him bridal style. Lance laughed at how ridiculous they looked like, naked from the waist down, but he didn’t struggle, didn’t show any sign that he was uncomfortable. Not when Shiro was smiling down at him, his smile worth a thousand suns.

 

They fell asleep just before dawn. Lance didn’t know how many times they made love, sometimes hurriedly, sometimes passionately. Once, in the midst of it, Shiro suddenly froze, as if he was possessed, where he began to cry and sweating profusely, like he was in a middle of a bad dream. Lance held him tightly through it. If he didn’t hold him tight, he felt, Shiro would just fly away somewhere he couldn’t reach. He stroked his back over and over and whispered calming things to pull him back. He kissed his neck and played with his hair. Sometimes Shiro would act like this, like he wasn’t himself, but Lance was okay with it. He held him tight and let his trembling seep deep within him.

“I want to know everything there is to know about you.” He told Shiro. “I won’t be afraid of you. we’ll face our fear together.”

Shiro only nodded in answer, burying himself closer to Lance’s chest, tightening his hold on his waist. The last thing he heard him say that night was a quiet murmur against his skin, weak and didn’t sound like Shiro at all.

“Don’t leave me…”

Lance felt his chest constrict, the air leaving his lungs in a pathetic sob. He cradled Shiro gently in his arms as he answered, “I’m not going anywhere, Takashi. I won’t.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Keith Kogane**

(08:12) hey u busy today?  
(08:21) a new place just opened up near my house i was wondering if u want to grab dinner w/ me?

 

**Lance**

(09:30) k theres something i need to talk to you about anyway cya tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like im dragging along the keith arc.... trust me keith is the least of lance's and shiro's problem he's not the main 'bad guy' of the story. i didn't really want to drag him too much like this but jjdhshjfjsffkgkgjnf


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops double update? :0

The restaurant was nothing special; a typical small but classy French restaurant, nowhere Lance had never been before. The waiting list was long, but Keith managed to get them inside without waiting. They were shown to a private room in the back, which Lance didn’t appreciate. Much. It was already nighttime, but Lance only sipped half of his glass of water, whilst Keith threw back one glass of wine after another.

Keith looked sharp today – like he finally bothered to actually fix his stupid hair and use his necktie properly. The muted light inside the restaurant served only to accentuate the purple glow of his eyes, which was kind of nice, Lance mulled.

“Do you have any idea what to order for dessert?” he asked casually, fingers tapping impatiently down the table. “I could recommend – “

“I can order for myself, thanks.” Lance cut in, snapping the menu shut. A tall waiter with regular features appeared from nowhere and he told the waiter to go with today’s special. Keith, still looking at Lance with narrowed eyes and a pout on his lips, didn’t bother looking at the menu.

“I’ll have the same.” He said. The waiter bowed and withdrew. After a long moment of silence with Lance observing the same painting over and over, Keith finally said, “Do you like the watch I gave you?”

Lance had prepared himself for this sort of question. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath before answering. “I can’t accept it, Keith.”

Keith looked at him with a blank stare, a cute tilt of his head like he didn’t hear him properly. “Why?”

“I’m asking purely out of curiosity,” Lance said, trying to elicit an explanation from him. “I’m not turning critical after you’ve bought me all these things, but is it really worth all the time and money?”

Keith blushed a little, surprising Lance. “I buy things that’ll probably look good on you. and Shiro even told me your favorites – “

At the mention of his husband, Lance’s temper shot up. “ _Look_.” he said sharply, with a snarl. He stabbed down a bread knife at the smooth table surface, right at the gap between Keith’s fingers, startling him. “I don’t care about you courting me, _kissing_ me, or trying to get in my pants. What I can’t handle is _you_ doing this behind Shiro’s back – when he trusts you so. I can’t have that. He _trusts_ you Keith. You’re like his own kin.”

Keith withdrew his hand, eyes narrowing sharply at Lance, trying to intimidate him into submitting. It failed because Lance had just enough of his shit to begin with. “Yeah, but do you trust him?”

Lance drew back, mouth parted like he was offended. “What do you mean? Honestly, what’s your deal? Shiro said you hated omegas, and I believed him, since our first encounter didn’t leave me with that good of an impression.”

“I dunno.” Keith shrugged. “I just like… talking to you. It feels like I’ve known you way before we’ve even met.” Then he formed a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, as if he had just found something bitter in his mouth by mistake. “Look, it’s not something I can help, alright?”

Lance was quiet for a moment, processing everything. “I’m sorry, Keith.” He began slowly. “But Shiro and I...”

“What about him?” Keith suddenly snapped, growling out his words like an angry wolf. “I’ve known Shiro longer than you do – I know how his _family_ works – I fucking work under his godforsaken brother for Christ’s sake!”

Lance, stunned into silence, stopped halfway into trying to reach for his glass.

“You love Shiro, so what. He loves you back, _big fucking deal._ You can buy love with enough money. And guess who has enough money for that kind of stunt?”

Lance frowned. He was so shocked, as if something had suddenly fallen out of the sky. “Are you telling me Shiro is just pretending…?” But how? _Why_? It didn’t make sense, not with how gentle he was and –

“I’m NOT saying that. I – ugh!” Keith rubbed his face jadedly with his hand, looking weary. Lance shouldn’t be feeling bad for him but he was. His nose was twitching; Lance knew he could smell the distressing pheromone Lance was giving out.  “Shiro does love you, alright.”

Lance squirmed a little in his seat, a wave of relief washing over his back and calming down his spiked scent. “Then… what seems to be the problem?” he asked, folding his arms in front of him.

“The problem is you don’t own him.” Keith said. “I know you do realize that no matter how much you love each other, Shiro doesn’t belong to you. He won’t ever.”

Lance listened in silence. His face remained expressionless, showing neither disgust nor shock.

“And it’s going to hurt you both in the end.”

Curling his hand into a fist Lance leaned over, hunching his shoulders. “We could work it out. Shiro and I could – “

Keith gritted his teeth. “You won’t understand, Lance. You’re just an omega – “

“Stop interrupting me!” Lance shot up from his seat, both palms flat against the table surface as he howled at the alpha in front of him, ignoring the raising goosebumps at the back of his neck. “And don’t bring my secondary gender into this! Me being an omega has nothing to do with this!”

“You being an omega is the exact reason why your parents marry you off to the youngest alpha of the Shirogane household!!” Keith stood up with him, slanting closer until they were eye to eye. “They see you as someone who’s weak, easily manipulated and could be thrown away easily once you’re deemed useless!”

Lance had never been more upset. He gasped loudly, stepping back in shock. “What – “

“Why do you think Shiro refused to bond with you even though he loves you much? You ever think about that?”

“He said we’re not ready yet…”

“Do you really buy that?” Keith said challengingly, raising his brows. “Do you not remember what I told you the first time we met? About political marriages? If Shiro could agree to marry someone he didn’t even know in the first place, imagine how easy it would be, separating the two of you like nothing ever happened.”

Lance froze in place. He couldn’t very well deny what Keith had said. It depressed him. He could feel eyes on them from the nearby patrons, a jarring, uncomfortable smell hanging in the air.

“Have you ever stop to think that maybe Shiro does want that – to bond you. But he can’t. Because he’s not allowed to have you. You’re not allowed to have him. Shiro doesn’t have the upper hand in this. In the end even he – like us, is just mere puppets for a greater scheme.” Keith said, slinking back down to his chair with a tired sigh. He looked at Lance fixedly, like he was pitying him. Lance was still standing still, eyes unfocused as he tried to say something. Come on, brain, come up with something!

Keith sighed again, drinking more of his wine. “Go home. Think it over. You’re just a nuisance to me like this.”

Lance did exactly that.

 

Before he went home, he dropped by Allura’s place, hugged her tightly against him without a word, and left immediately once he had his fill. Allura didn’t question him, didn’t bother him with texts or calls after, and somehow he was grateful for that.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance sat at the corner of his own bed, for the first time in a while finding comfort in the safety of his own room; the room that didn’t smell like his alpha. His thoughts were in turmoil; all over the place. Shiro was in his study and he felt bad, not telling him about his arrival, but seeing him would only make him even more nervous, with Keith’s words still raw on his mind. At times like this, he wanted to hug him, to feel the warmth of his body. But just the mere thought of him led inexorably to the painful memories of his family members. Vivid memories of their cold, piercing eyes. Lance could think of nothing else.

Was what Keith said was true? That he worth nothing more than a tie to secure the bond between the two families, and he would be thrown away once his purpose was served? Did Shiro think of him in that way as well? No, but Shiro… Shiro was always there for him, wasn’t he? He recalled fragments of their conversations, how he’d brush the back of Lance’s head while smiling fondly at him whenever he talked, how he tilted his head slightly when he was interested. Would that Shiro ever leave him once he was told to? But then again, they’ve only known each other for a while. Whilst Shiro… had lived with his family his whole life. Aspired, sought. Protected.

Shiro never talked to Lance about his family because he knew. Shiro knew how his family despised Lance.

Lance felt alone, unwanted, all of a sudden.

The door to his room creaked open, dragging him away from his wandering thought as Shiro peeked inside. His heart refused to calm down at the sight of him.

“Hey.” He said warmly. “I uh… I could feel you distressing from all the way upstairs.”

Lance shook his head. “I’m just… thinking.”

Closing the distance between them, Shiro gently closed the door shut and sat down right next to him. He could tell the exact moment the bed dipped at his weight. “How was dinner with Allura?”

Lance almost choked. If they were bonded, he wouldn’t be able to lie to him this easily. “It was fine. The food was good. We didn’t really talk about anything important. She just wanted to have someone to drink with.”

“Hm,” Shiro droned, at the same time, rubbing his cheek against Lance’s, scenting him. He was always oddly possessive when it came to Allura. Lance just hoped Keith’s smell didn’t linger on him. “Wanna tell me what’s on your mind?”

Lance clasped his small hands around Shiro’s bigger ones, seeping the warmth to ground him back to reality. He looked through Shiro’s eyes, imagine seeing a dead weight reflected on his grey orbs. He wished he could just forget about tonight and drown in his scent, but the situation wasn’t quiet that simple. Now he knew what Shiro felt like when he refused to talk to him – he was scared. Terrified, even, of knowing the whole truth. Gently, he touched Shiro’s cheek, dragging his fingers through his scar, and landed on his ear. Beneath his palm he could feel Shiro’s life. It was real – warm and soft. This was his reality. Whatever the truth might be.

“I just need to cool off.” He said, feigning excitement. “Let’s go for a swim.”

Shiro looked taken aback. “At this hour? Lance, it’s freezing out there. You’ll catch a cold.”

“You’ll keep me warm.” He said with a teasing smile. He dragged his palms across Shiro’s pecs, making the bigger man shiver. Shiro sighed but nodded resignedly.

It was late enough that no one was wandering down the hall, all the lights were already turned off. They tiptoed into the lawn, hand in hand, Shiro carrying two thick towels on his hip. Once they made it to the pool side, Shiro disposed of the towels down the lounge chairs as Lance began to strip. By stripping means all of his clothes.

“Lance – what are you doing?” Shiro asked incredulously, looking dumbfounded. He still skimmed his eyes up and down Lance’s body for good measure, nevertheless.

“Taking off my clothes?” He asked back, in the process of toeing off his underwear.

Shiro looked frantically at his surrounding, eyes blinking repeatedly. “No, no, what are you _doing_?”

Lance cocked his hips to the side. “C’mon Shiro, you strip too. I wanna go skinny dipping.”

Shiro still had this dumb adorable look on his face. “Lance, do I need to remind you that we are not alone in the house?”

Lance pauses, eyes focusing on nothing. “Yeah. Sometimes I wish we are though.” He brought his gaze back to Shiro, a wide grin on his face. “But nobody’s gonna look or anything. It’s late. Come on.”

Groaning, Shiro had the tendency to look embarrassed. “Lanceee.”

“God, you were completely okay with fucking me in the middle of the house. You fucking menace.” Lance hissed, turning Shiro beet red. The alpha sighed, but relent, in the end, taking his shirt off. They both were completely naked as they jumped into the pool, Lance immediately snuggling into Shiro’s personal space, chest to back. With Shiro’s arm around him, they quietly fell into a peaceful pace, floating around surrounded only by the sound of night insects. Lance could effortlessly smell Shiro like this, just the two of them, and maybe a hint of chlorine.

“Is everything really necessary?” he asked quietly, voice traveling down the water. “All the maids… cook, your butler, even the huge house? I mean, if you’d have me I could… I could do everything on my own, you know. I’m an omega, that’s in my blood. I like to clean and I can even cook…” he then added after, “You could even have me in a uniform. Or an apron of that sort.” Which in turn made Shiro chuckle lowly.

Shiro didn’t say anything for a while. He tilted Lance’s head so he could see straight at him. “Do you want that?”

“Hm?”

“To live somewhere… just the two of us? No one else?” Shiro asked, the vibrations on his tone rumbled deep within Lance’s chest, making him filled with warmth.

“Just us, in a place where no one would know us?” Lance hummed, swaying slightly. “I’d love that.”

“Me too.” Shiro told him.

Lance looked straight ahead as Shiro burrowed his head into his neck, kissing softly on his skin. He wanted to believe that, he really did. When he opened his eyes tomorrow, the world would be new, every problem would be solved, and he would wake up next to Shiro in a place where no one would be able to touch them ever again. But he couldn’t swallow that scenario. For Shiro’s words sounded hollow inside of his head, like an empty promise made and said.

 

* * *

 

 

Two days later, Lance caught a horrible cold. He couldn’t even get up. Another hindrance of being an omega – the low immunity system made it easier for them to catch an illness, and even harder to cure it. So, yeah, just his luck.

It was just a common cold, the house doctor had told them. But Lance scoffed at him because the moment he tried to get up he would be heaving onto the floor, and it wasn’t a sight he wanted Shiro to see. And Shiro, damn him, had decided to skip work again, just so he could stay with him from the moment he closed his eyes and was always there whenever he woke up. He had told him that he had this under control, that he hired a dozen maids for a reason, but Shiro wasn’t having it. Instead, he grew even more protective, not letting anyone enter their room, not even when Lucy, Nyma and Allura decided to visit. Because there were alphas.

(In the end, with some coaxing, Lance could get his friends and sister inside, but not without Shiro fixing them a deadly stare.)

Seeing Shiro like this made it hard for Lance to accept what Keith had told him because Shiro acted like he was, utterly, completely smitten. And Lance didn’t know what to do with that information, because he too, was dumbly in love with the man.

He would watch Lance from the corner of the room, careful not to get too close, but would immediately come if Lance so much waved at him. He would brush his bangs away from his face, kiss his knuckles, and tell him, with a soft voice, sweet as honey, to hurry up and get better. Lance wanted to cry because he was weak thanks to the cold, and because he didn’t want to part from Shiro, ever. He wanted Shiro to mate him, so nobody could ever take him away.

Shiro’s older brother came for a visit. He left as quick as he came. Lance knew because he could tell from the strong, dominant scent. Shiro looked distraught when he came back to the room. Lance could do nothing but hug him and crooned softly to calm him down. Shiro didn’t say anything but hug him tighter. Lance closed his eyes. He didn’t feel he was in his own body; his body was just a lonely, temporary container he happened to be borrowing. He suddenly felt an unexpected urgency to protect Shiro. To take him away before things disappeared. Before the world fell to pieces.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith came by just as Lance felt a whole lot better. He brought a bouquet of yellow daisies and sunflowers. He dumped it unceremoniously on the bed, which earned a growl from Shiro.

“What?” Keith turned to him. “It’s a get-well-soon gift.”

Shiro exhaled loudly like he was used to this, rubbing his temple wearily before taking the bouquet with him. “I’ll go put it in a vase.”

Shiro walked outside, closing the door, leaving Keith and Lance alone on the bedroom, giving each other awkward looks. “How are you?” Keith asked. His voice sounded hard and dry.

“Good. I’m fine, no worry.” Lance said. He had no idea how his voice sounded to him.

“I heard omegas get sick easily.” Keith said, folding his arms and leaning against the nearest wall.

Lance inhaled deeply, clutching the sheet with both his hands. “Look, Keith – “

“I know what you’re about to say.” Keith interrupted him, looking away, gaze intent on an oil painting on his left. “I just want to make sure you’ve thought about your decision at least twice.”

Lance nodded. They stood in silence for a while across the room from each other, drinking in the quiet.

“I’m sorry Keith. I can’t be with you. I love Shiro. I’m going to try to stay with him. I need Shiro and he needs me. We might not be blessed with the privilege of proper courting, but that's alright for us. What we lack... We're going to make it up by being there for each other.” Lance said. “He sees me... the way he sees me is not as on omega, or someone to breed. He sees me as Lance. As someone he wants to be with. He sees me as I am.”

Keith stared straight at him like he understood, but he looked beaten; broken. “Listen. I came here to apologize.” Keith said with a quick nod. “I’ve said some disrespectful stuff and it’s – it’s just because I care about you. And Shiro. Honestly I just want Shiro to be able to make his own decisions, too, you know. But he’s always like this. Ever since the accident he was always so…” Keith grimaced like he accidentally swallowed something bitter and curled more into himself. The sight of it broke Lance’s heart a bit.

“I think you’re just confused. I think I’m not the one you love – it’s Shiro, isn’t it? It’s because I smell like Shiro, that’s why you’re – “

“It’s because you smell like my mother!” Keith hissed through gritted teeth. His words had a decided outline and gravity. Lance was stunned into silence, eyes wide as he regarded the trembling alpha before him. He wondered how many times Keith had gone over these words in his mind before he finally admits it to him.

“Oh. Um… I’m… flattered?” Lance wasn’t sure what to make of the confession. Nobody had ever told him he reminded them of their mother before.

“My _real_ mother!” Keith rustled. “What, Shiro didn’t tell you I’m adopted?”

“Oh.” Lance blinked. “I didn’t know… that.” he said. “I thought…”

“You really think I love Shiro that way? How do you know what I’m thinking?” Keith asked. “You actually believe you know what I’m thinking?”

Lance couldn’t say a thing. Keith was silent too, for a while. He wished Shiro would just come back inside, and maybe they could hug it all out. Keith, for one, looked like he was going to cry.

“You have no idea what I’m thinking. No one does. I’m guessing neither does my real mother ‘cuz she just left me like that.” He continued. “I don’t even remember her. Not her face, what she looked like, what her touch felt like. I just remembered her scent. It was comforting, it made me believe that I was loved, once.”

“Keith…”

“I hate how protective I am to you because of that. Since, I know you’re not mine. Never will be. I just want to make sure you’re ha- happy.” He stuttered, brows furrowed like he had to spit out the words from deep within him. “And I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Especially not by someone who I care deeply about.”

Seeing Lance wasn’t going to respond, Keith pushed himself away from the wall and sighed. And very slowly, he shook his head. “I’m not that stupid, I hope you know. I know I have no chance with you.”

Lance looked at him in silence.

“I’m not blaming you.” he continued. “Like I said, I couldn’t help it right? I’m just happy with being with you. Giving you stuff was just a selfish way to redeem myself. I wasn’t expecting you to choose me over Shiro. I’m not angry either. I just want you two to live the life you guys deserve.”

“I’m sorry.” Lance said.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“We could still be friends.” Lance said. “Perhaps. I mean. If you fix your mullet, maybe, I’ll consider it.”

“God,” Keith growled. “I hate you so much. Why am I in love with you?”

Lance cringed. “Sorry.”

“And no more kissing me. I will end you.”

“Uhhhhhh. Yeah. It was my bad.”

Keith smiled, albeit a little dry, at him. And he smiled back.

Keith sat down at the edge of the bed, not too close nor too far from where Lance was, his back facing him. “So, you said you want to try being with Shiro? And how are you going to do that? You have a plan?”

“Well. Nobody can predict the future right? So I might as well hold on to what I have right now. I’m going to stay with Shiro for as long as he’ll have me.” Lance said, hugging his knees. “And maybe if I behave, they’d leave us alone. And then maybe Shiro would want to bond with me.”

Keith looked at him like he didn’t believe him, but shrugged anyway. “Okay. As long as you’re happy.”

Shiro came back not long after that, a flower vase in hand, and placed it down the drawer next to their bed. The three of them have dinner together that night, and as always, Keith went back home before ten. As it turned out, he had a curfew, courtesy of his parents. (In which Lance might’ve laughed a little too loud at.)

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night, Lance went through the cabinet in his bathroom, pulling out three orange-colored containers from the far end corner of the cupboard. Two of them were still sealed, white round pills filling each container to the brim. Lance uncapped all three of them, peeled off the label that read as ‘ _birth control’_ before flushing all the pills down the toilet.

Back then, Lance didn’t understand why his father had given him that many, since he was married off and only supposed to consume them thrice a month, at max. Now, looking at the tablets slowly making their way down the whirling water, he knew why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keith and lance are frustrating i feel bad for shiro


	12. Takashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because summer vacation is ending and school is starting soon i'll just post all the chapter ive written up till today. but i don't know when is the next update going to be so let me apologize in advance.  
> this chapter is written from shiro's point of view  
> the words written inside the [ ] are spoken in Japanese!!

Shiro’s office occupied the whole floor, just right below his brother’s and father’s floors. It was a huge room painted in warm beige with wood paneling, with one floor-to-ceiling window that faced the main road. There were two comfortable couches in the middle of the room, on the thick mahogany desk sat a desktop computer, a stack of paper that was left untouched, and an open leather notebook. The walls were decorated with high bookshelf and a single oil painting, and a huge aquarium tank just right across it.

“You called?” Keith asked as he closed the door behind him quietly, sauntering inside the chilling room. In the corner the air conditioner was blasting at medium, but it was still too cold for the current weather. It was going to be winter soon.

Shiro rotated around his swivel chair, pushing his reading glasses down his nose as he gave a curt nod at Keith. “Why don’t you have a seat.”

Keith looked at him warily. “Okay, _sir_. No need to be so formal.” He jested as he slid down the couch, crossing his legs before him.

Shiro laughed, waving him off. “Wait a minute. I’ll be right with you.” he typed something down on his computer, and then pressed the com to his secretary. “Christine? Can you bring me and Keith some coffee?”

Not long after that came the reply, and Shiro’s blonde, hot beta secretary came by placing two cup of steaming hot coffee down the coffee table. Shiro murmured a quiet thanks before she disappeared outside, leaving the two friends behind. Shiro joined Keith in the couch a while later, leaning back against the cushion and making himself comfortable.

“Lunch is in five so I’m just gonna go straight the point,” he said, lifting up his own cup. Keith watched him from the corner of his eyes, his movement a little stiff. “Do you really think I’m stupid Keith?”

Keith almost choked on his coffee. It might be a little too hot, Shiro pondered. “Wh – Wha?”

“Do you think I won’t notice you trying to make a move at Lance?” Shiro said, watching him from behind the rim of his cup. He took a sip.

“Oh my God.” Keith blanched.

“The flowers were okay, but you bought him a Hermes perfume and I wasn’t sure what to feel about that.”

“Why didn’t you say anything!?” Keith gulped, the bob of his throat obvious.

“Because I trust you. And Lance.” Shiro said, a little too sad to admit. “I’m not angry, Keith. Uhh. Maybe I am. A little. It’s just. Maybe.” He paused, placing his cup down and brought a hand to his hair tiredly. “I had this fleeting thought that perhaps, you could be a better alpha for Lance. Better than me. It’s me that I don’t trust.”

“What – Shiro?! No!” Keith stiffened in his seat. “If it’s about what happened to you – “

“I know.” Shiro said sharply. “I made peace with that part of myself, okay? I mean, partly. Lance helped too. That’s why Keith, I need him. I just can’t give him up. Sorry.”

“What are you talking about? Really you two are just so…” Keith sighed. “I’m the one who should apologize. I guess I broke your trust, huh?”

“No, no, no. I’m partly the blame too. I mean – at first I was just going to pretend I didn’t realize, you know? How stupid is that?” He chuckled. “I want to give Lance the freedom he deserves but I – I can’t. I realized I’m too selfish for that. I want him all for myself now, Keith. I want to be greedy too… for once.” He wanted to be good enough. Good enough for Lance, and for himself as well. And to do that he needed to start accepting himself and what left of him.

“You deserve it, Shiro. You really, really do. And I’m really sorry. To Lance too.” Keith said while picking his nails nervously.

Shiro regarded him with a look of bewilderment, brows shooting up to his hairline. He slumped his shoulders, relaxing into the cushion. “That’s fine, Keith. You didn’t do anything to him… right?”

Keith became rigid once more, straightening his back and curling his hand into a fist. “No! I wouldn’t touch him!” he blinked, then, like he just realized something important, before turning a little pale (if that even possible, with how pale he already is). “Except. Maybe. I kinda… did?”

Shiro shifted, his eyes narrowing.

“O – Okay, I kissed him! It was – it was just a peck!!”

Shiro wasn’t expecting that at all. Not from his own friend, that is.

Seizing the collar of Keith’s shirt, Shiro yanked the shorter man up across the table until they were eye to eye, their noses almost touching. “If I see you pull that kind of stunt again, the next time I call for you you won’t be sitting in my couch and drinking from my cup, do you understand, Keith?” Shiro snarled, baring his teeth in act of dominance, the alpha inside of him finding delight in Keith’s cowering; the way his eyes were wide with fear and his scent went dull, completely overpowered. Shiro secretly liked having full control over someone – being the youngest child in an all alpha family made it hard for him to show his full potential. Keith only nodded quickly, swallowing the lump on his throat before Shiro tossed him back to the couch, exhaling loudly. “Now get out. It’s lunch break.”

Keith scampered outside, running like a dog with its tail between its legs, but not before murmuring one last apology from behind the door.

Loosening up his tie, Shiro plopped back down to the couch, groaning in exasperation. Now it was obvious that whatever made Lance anxious had something to do with Keith. While he looked like he was regretting what he did, he had said something to Lance that he couldn’t take back. He was so pissed now, but it was like trying to punch a ghost. Keith was so awkward and lost, and not to mention kind of an idiot too, so it was hard to stay mad at him. Shiro sighed, running a hand through his face, trying to swallow his angry outburst.

“You sigh a lot lately.” Christine said, standing across of him right behind the coach.

“Oh. Hey.” Shiro said weakly. “What’s my schedule for today?”

His secretary gave him a flat, almost annoyed look, before her gaze landed on the paperwork on top of his desk. “You have yet to review all the shipments. You’ve been taking a lot of day offs lately.”

“Uh.”

“First thing first.” She gestured towards the door with her thumb. “Your father had just summoned you.”

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro kind of dreaded sitting down in the waiting room just to see his own father. It was eerily quiet, only the sound of clock ticking and water trickling from the water dispenser to accompany him. It didn’t help that the interior design was kind of bland, only a small potted plant on the corner of the room. As the door to the main office room opened, Shiro looked up and locked eyes with Ritsuko, only for her to avert her gaze elsewhere before making a turn for the elevator. She disappeared inside, but not before placing her calculative gaze once more on Shiro. It was cold and heavy. Some sister he had.

“Takashi?” Her father’s assistant appeared from behind the doors, her ever friendly smile seemed out of place in the dreary room. “He’ll see you now.”

The presidential office was on the top floor, and a large window, one like on his own office gave a view of the busy city. The rest of the room was bright and spacious, and his father had settled on something more like a Japanese styled room. A small fountain on the far left of the wall. A Buddhist altar across it.

Getting in his huge office room, Shiro sat down on a couch on the back, where his father’s assistant brought him a jar of cookie and a cup of green tea. His father hated coffee. He smiled at her and muttered a quiet thanks as she left.

“[You said you had something you wanted to talk about?]” Shiro asked. If it was something bad, he’d rather get it out of the way first.

His father stood in front of the window, watching the view outside with unnerving silence. “[Look out at this ludicrous city here. See all those people lurking around? Loitering from once place to another like a moth drawn to lights. If you look down from above like this, it’s almost as if they’re just a group of ants at our feet, but walk around town at ground level and you’ll feel how small you are compared to everyone else.]” He squinted his eyes, the lines around his eyes visible now in the bright light. “[People do all kind of stuff for money. Working from dawn until midnight, walking around until the soles of their shoes turn smooth. But there are also people who refuse to work, and would rather take what’s not theirs. And then we pay high taxes to them, even though they weren’t exactly doing anything. Cities reflect the way the economy’s going, and just look at this place.]”

Shiro said nothing. He hadn’t come all the way here to talk about the economy. His father sensed his growing anxiousness and threw his iPad onto his son’s lap.

“[Look at that.]”

Shiro scrolled through the news article that was already loaded onto the screen, his eyes growing wide in disbelief. Once he got to the end of the article, he placed the gadget gently down the table.

“What are you implying?” Shiro asked, throwing a glare at his father. “[He’s still a suspect. He’ll clear his name, and in no time, people are going to forget about the case.]”

“[Will they? Senator McClain had two corruption indictments before, and the people are starting to lose faith in him. That’s why he came crawling down to us, Takashi. He’s going to run for the reelection next year and he’s in need all the support he can get.]”

“[Why are you telling me this?]”

“[I believe you can imagine what’ll happen if he was charged and trialed.]”

Shiro stood up, clenching his fists. “[He won’t. And I know what you’re trying to say. This has nothing to do with Lance.] Lance doesn’t even talk to him anymore.”

“[I knew you wouldn’t like this.]” his father said.

“[It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, does it?]”

His father turned around, facing him now. He let out his overpowering alpha pheromone, one that forced everyone around him to submit. Shiro refused to, even though he became dizzy. Almost as if his footing had been swept out from under him. “ _Takashi_. Think about your family’s reputation.”

“Listen. You leave Lance out of this. He doesn’t even know about the news, I bet. He’s also the victim here.”

“Takashi – “

Shiro shook his head and turned around, making his way to the entrance without bothering to look in his father’s direction. “I’m done having this conversation. Lunch break is almost over. I got to get back to work, still a lot of papers I gotta sign. [I’ll excuse myself first, father.]”

He slammed the door shut – maybe a little too loud but he couldn’t care less. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it with a match on the way to the elevator, ignoring the concerned look on the assistant’s face. As the elevator door closed and it began its ride down, Shiro felt like his entire life was within the tiny box, going down and down and down, and little by little, he would get entrapped by the world out there.

 

At the evening, instead of going straight home, Shiro stopped by a nearby park and sat down on a bench, eating donut. The trees have dropped thick layers of dead leaves that hid the ground and crackled when stepped on. The weather was nice, late autumn moon hung in the sky like razor-sharp blade, and there were still a number of couples and parents with their children. The children played in the slides or gathering withering leaves and chasing each other while their mothers kept an eye on them, chatting with their significant others. Seeing these little children at play made something twist inside of Shiro’s gut, a deep longing that was never there before. Not until he had someone so precious he wanted to keep forever. He wanted to see him, to walk down the street holding his hand, wanted to feel the warmth of his body.

All Shiro ever wanted was to grow up like a normal child in a normal household. Shiro didn’t want money, or power, or positions. He had always wanted to spend time with the other kids, play around until late, go to karaoke, and not study his youth away. All the thoughts of it led to memories of his mother and the yearning look in her eyes whenever she would look at his father. Maybe she had wanted it too. Maybe they both had the same wish, but were unable to do anything about it. Shiro felt lousy, thinking about depressing stuff like this. He felt deflated, utterly lacking the will to move. The wind was getting stronger still when he decided to go back home.

He came home and was greeted with the sight of Lance, contently sprawled across the floor on top of a yoga mat, music blasting from his phone in full volume. Lance bounced happily when he noticed his arrival; he peppered him with kisses and they ate dinner together like usual. It was so oddly domestic and felt so normal. An ordinary routine he would never get tired of.

 

* * *

 

 

“Lucy hasn’t been answering my texts or calls lately. And she’s not even active on her Instagram! That’s weird ‘cuz… she’s the type of girl who’d post something into her story every thirty seconds.” Lance said while wiping the rest of his green face mask away. His skin would always glow and became cold to the touch whenever he finished applying them. Shiro liked the feeling. “I mean, what’s her deal? Can’t she find the time to talk to her brother or something? Is she going through Miranda’s weird state of puberty?” He began climbing up the bed, and to Shiro’s laps. “Is it an Alpha thing?” he asked cutely, tilting his head to the side.

Shiro’s eyes fell to his long, slender neck, begging to be kissed. “Maybe?” he said, before bending forward to press his gland against Lance’s. He felt Lance shivered underneath his touch, smelled his arousal building in the air as Shiro continued to scent him, to suck a hickey deep into his smooth, tan skin. Dragging his tongue from Lance’s jaw to his cheek, he nipped Lance’s ear and tugged it into his mouth. Thinking about Keith laying his hand on what is his pissed him off. He needed to scrub it off, take Keith’s smell away from his Lance.

“Um, Shiro?”

Shiro’s reply was a deep growl, unsure where it came from as he furiously rubbed his scent all over Lance, marking him domineeringly.

“Oh. A - are you okay?”

He kissed Lance on the lips, tasting the inside of his mouth briefly before pulling back, eyes watching Lance fixedly. He caressed Lance’s cheek with the back of his hand, his skin a little icy compared to his. “Are you not going to tell me about Keith?”

He felt Lance stiffened within his grasp, his muscles went taut as if he was ready to run anytime. “You knew?”

“’course I knew.” Shiro said, leaning in once more to mark him again when he felt Lance’s hands pushing against his shoulder, keeping him in place.

“Um. Uh…” Lance hang his head down, refusing to meet his eyes. “I – I’m sorry. Sorry. Please forgive me. I just. I didn’t want you guys to fight. You-you’ve been friends with him for years and I…”

He was trembling as he said so, his words came out stuttered. Shiro put a finger under his chin and tipped his head up, softening his gaze as he looked deep within Lance’s deep blue orbs. “Lance, relax. I’m not mad at you. And Keith and I aren’t fighting, even though I am angry at him. But friends fight sometimes. It’s normal.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept it from you. Really. I… I’m the worst.”

Shiro slowly shook his head, smiling. “I understand why you did it. It’s fine. It’s just scared me a little, maybe. The thought of you choosing him and going away.”

This time it was Lance who shook his head eagerly, something burning in his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere! Ever!”

Shiro smiled at him and they stayed like that, staring at each other’s eyes, learning each other’s faces. When Lance broke the silence with a huff, Shiro raised an eyebrow at him.

“Lately you always look… exhausted. Why is that?”

“I do?”

Lance nodded. “Is work hard on you? Don’t push yourself too much.” He brought a hand to Shiro’s face, flattening his palm against his cheek. “It makes me want to take care of you.”

Cupping Lance’s hand within his own, he turned his head and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the inside of Lance’s palm. “Then by all means, please take care of me.”

Lance scoffed, followed by a flirtatious grin Shiro was starting to become familiar with. “Okay, come here you big baby. Let mommy take good~ care of you.” he mewled, pressing a thumb between Shiro lips and coaxing them open as he connected their lips. Lance kissed him, deep and dirty. Shiro groaned into the kiss, feeling Lance pushing himself up to his knees and saw him pulling his boxer off from the corner of his eyes.

He could smell Lance’s slick, could imagine himself tearing him open, and just the sweet, sweet, intoxicating smell of his arousal was enough to get him hard. What a weak man, Shiro was. His hands roamed Lance’s back, feeling him up underneath his shirt before they slid down to cup his ass, kneading the supple flesh with his fingers. Lance’s mouth was open against his, and his insides were so, so warm. One of his fingers made it through his cleft and Lance was so wet. Shiro couldn’t wait any longer.

Lance whimpered, giving out desperate sighs that drove Shiro to the edge. His breaths were deep but sharp as he quickly raised himself up to made himself comfortable across Shiro’s lap. Wasting no time, his hand scrambling to pull his own cock out from his pants, one hand around Lance’s waist to steady him as he pulled his pants down to his thighs. He sighed, burying his head in the crook of Lance’s neck.

“You’re so pretty,” He muttered right into Lance’s skin, feeling the ripple of his well-defined muscles. Lance had a slender build, but he was thick in the chest, and his stomach had no excess flesh.

Lance gave him a lazy grin, hand reaching down to give Shiro’s cock a sharp tug. “And you’re huge. As usual.” And it’s true. Just the sight of it, the weight of his dick in his hand were mouthwatering.

“Uh,” Shiro said elegantly with a cute blush.

With one hand Lance touched himself, and then smeared his slick down Shiro’s dick with quick, efficient stroke. He did so as he stared right at Shiro, his eyes blown and lips shiny with spit. He already looked wrecked. Shiro didn’t think he’d seen any sight better than what he was seeing at the moment. When Shiro licked his lips Lance’s pointed eyes followed the movement intensely, his skin grew even redder.

Lance grabbed his shaft, lined it in between his cheeks and started moving his hips languidly, throwing his head back. The soft purr that came out from his cute, plump lips sent an electric zap all across Shiro’s body that reached his groin. It was so hot, he’d never been this hard before. Before he realized he was sucking on Lance’s unmarked scent gland, pressing his teeth against it, devouring Lance where he tastes the best. Lance melted in his embrace, turning into a putty as his hips stuttered, his gaze gone hazy.

It felt amazing, how the contact made them two feels. Shiro wondered just how much more mind-blowing it could get if he just… bite into it. Tore him apart.

Lance moaned, thrusting forward for friction. “Shiro, you can bite me, you know. I don’t have to be in heat to be bonded.”

Shiro paused for a second. “I know…”

Lance whined, tilting his head to give Shiro more access to his neck, showing off his smooth, unmarked skin. “Shiro? Please…? I want you. I need you, alpha, c’mon.”

“Lance I…” Shiro pawed at his shoulder. He choked on air, grunting as Lance lined his cock against his ass, slick dribbling down his thighs. Without warning Lance slid down, breath hitching and Shiro’s whole body spasm with the sudden heat clenching around him. Lance was always so tight for him. Always so appetizing and sweet.

“Holy shit.” Lance whispered in bliss. He still had his neck shown in submission.

Shiro swallowed, willing himself to hold back. “Lance I’m not supposed to bond with you.” He felt Lance stopped abruptly. “Not until my father gave me permission.”

Lance leaned back enough for Shiro to see the weird knowing expression flashing across his face, before it disappeared, drowned by a somber guise that washed over him like a tide. “Oh.”

_Oh?_

“You knew?” Shiro placed a hand on Lance’s forearm.

“Umm. Keith kind of implied it. I just figured it out on my own.” He said, blinking. He looked down for a while and then brought his gaze back on Shiro. There were worry lines underneath his eyes, his rousing scent turned into something a little mute and tender. Shiro could sniff and point out the unease within it. “I… um. Sorry. I’m not in the mood anymore. Can we just. Cuddle or something?”

Shiro shifted as Lance pushed himself up and slipped out of him. The action made the two of them shudder. “Sure. Anything you want. I – I’m sorry Lance.”

Lance didn’t bother putting on his pants back, just glided comfortably underneath the duvet. His eyes were glossed over, like a stormy sea. “It’s okay. It’s not like we can do anything about our current situation.”

The way he said it broke his heart. He sounded so weak and small, unlike the usual boisterous, excited Lance. “I’m sorry. It’s just for a while. I think my father will lose interest in us eventually and then I could…” Shiro trailed off, feeling his cheeks slowly warming up at the thought.

Lance said nothing at first. Just watching him. Occasionally blinking. There was an odd sensation in the air that tugged at Shiro’s heart, where he could sense the growing curiosity. And then Lance wetted his lips and said, “Or you could just. Get me pregnant.”

“What?”

“Like, in my next heat – “

“Aren’t you on medication?”

Lance looked away, giving Shiro nice view of his jaw and his neck. “I… I threw it away.” he looked back at him. “I mean, we’re married, aren’t we? What do they even expect?”

“Lance, we can’t. Not right now.”

“Why not?” Lance said, frowning. He pushes himself up with his arms. “Shiro, I’ve been super frustrated lately. I’m frustrated with Keith, with the way my family is trying to push me away, and now you too?”

“Baby – “

“Don’t _baby_ me mister.” Lance tutted, waving his finger in front of Shiro’s face. “You all should stop treating me like an object. Oh my God. I’m not some goods. I have wants. Needs. Maybe I need something to ground me; to _convince_ me. Something solid. You ever think about that?” He ended his sentence while running his hand through his face exasperatedly.

Shiro grabbed his wrist, stopping his movement. “Lance, listen. You’re not an object or a merchandize. I know you’re anxious but I’m doing this for us. I’m behaving myself so my family would just leave us alone. It just… It takes time. I only need you to be patient, okay? I will do whatever it takes to keep you with me.”

Lance watched him flatly, calculating. “Are you sure? This isn’t what your _daddy_ wanted you to say?”

Shiro growled, grinding his teeth together. “ _Lance_. Just shut up and trust me.”

Lance freeze immediately, his eyes wide and head hung submissively. Noticing this, Shiro rubbed his arms soothingly, murmuring sweet nothing at his husband, watching as the tension slowly dissipated. He didn’t mean to use his alpha voice on him…

Lance whimpered, pouting his lips with a hint of displeasure. “I’m sorry if I’m too pushy and clingy and… don’t throw me away. Please.”

“Lance, I’m not throwing you away. Just focus on me, okay? Don’t think about anything else.” Shiro cupped his face and bring their faces together, circling his thumb on his cheek softly. “Stop wasting your energy on things that don’t matter, yeah?” He assured him, smoothed out his crumpled hair.

Lance took one more look around the room, and then he nodded, his hands joining Shiro’s own. And then they fell into a serene quiet, Lance deep asleep in his embrace. Lance was beautiful in his sleep – truly mesmerizing. Shiro almost wished he could preserve his face in a glass case. He laid an arm across the body of his husband. He gently pressed his cheek against Lance’s chest and held himself there, listening, hoping to understand him through each beat of his heart.

Closing his eyes to invite impending darkness, Shiro let Lance’s deep, soft breathing hush him to sleep, feeling the freest he’d ever been in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because this fic is written before season 7, lance's and shiro's family members are kind of my OCs, so i'm sorry about that. i hope that fact doesnt bother you guys  
> and for the mpreg... it will always be implied and mentioned throughout the entire fic but i won't explicitly write about it, sorry to disappoint.  
> thank you for reading up to this point!! and for the really nice comments! sorry i cant reply to every single one of them (cuz i get too overwhelmed sometimes <3 )


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am...alive. surprise.  
> I'm sorry it took TWO MONTHS. i swear to god i wasn't ignoring this fic. the thing is my ex-roommate broke my laptop and being in a foreign country and all i had no idea how i was supposed to fix it and stuff so i kinda lost my mind for a bit. the stress of being abroad is slowly getting into me. a good thing it's back now, and hopefully this fic will be back on track.  
> anyway, i'm sorry this chapter is short! i had too much i wanted to put in but i don't want you guys to wait longer so i cut it short. thank you for sticking with me until now!!!!

Lance knew all good things had to come to an end eventually.

While the inevitable had yet to come, this wasn’t any different – not really. Thankfully, he found out about the news _after_ his omega yoga class, so it didn’t ruin his regular meditation.

Lance needed time to asses the situation, so he parked his car by the side of the road, forehead leaning against the steering wheel as he scrolled down the article. He went through cycles of emotions that he couldn’t even settle on one; from mild panic to complete disappointment.

How come, before all of it made into news, he didn’t have any single clue about it?

Shiro must’ve known. Lucy must _definitely_ know. Why didn’t she tell him anything? It was his father, for Christ’s sake. His own _family_.

He should have fucking known if his own father was about to face federal embezzlement trial.

And not from a fucking news site.

Groaning, Lance repeatedly bumped his head against the steer. He immediately felt stupid and considered driving away across the state and cutting ties with everyone else. He couldn’t believe he was worried about his marriage with Shiro with all… this happening in the background. One way or another, _this_ will also affect their marriage, no doubt about it.

His mulling came to a head when the alarm in his phone rings, four pm on the clock, with the word DINNER written in all caps and a frowning emoji.

Right. He had dinner tonight. With the rest of Shiro’s family.

Like it couldn’t get any worse.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance was checking the cuff of his Dior Homme black turtleneck sweater when Shiro came home and walked into the room, some time around five. He didn’t even try to mask the anomalous scent hanging in the air around him.

Shiro noticed instantly, of course, his nose twitching slightly, but greeted Lance with a smile anyway. “You ready?”

Lance fell quiet for a moment, staring straight into his husband until his eyes grew tired and he looked somewhere else. He fetched his slim white suit.

“Lance?” Shiro asked again without much interest.

“You knew all along, didn’t you?” He began quietly, not quite meeting Shiro’s insistent gaze. When Shiro kept throwing him a confused look, he sighed, tucking his stray hair behind his ear. He was so tired somehow. And the night hadn’t even begun. “My father’s case. You knew. You didn’t tell me.”

Shiro’s face fell. He made his way to Lance, arms hanging in the air like he wanted to hold him. Lance just stood there, waiting for an explanation. Shiro stopped a few steps before him, hands falling to his sides when he realized Lance was in no mood for any hugs.

“I – “ he sighed.

Lance lifted a brow, still waiting.

“You didn’t say anything. I just thought it’s not something you want to bring up.”

Lance visibly bristled. “Not something I – Shiro, this is my father we’re talking about! This is the exact shit that should be talked about _con_ _toda la familia!_ ”

Shiro blinked at the Spanish. Lance didn’t even realize what came out of his mouth as he continued.

“And I didn’t know, okay!? no single fucking clue because everyone, including you, kept me in the dark! My mama didn’t even call me lately, I know some shit is up but I never… I never expected this…” He grew quieter, trailing his words off as his shoulders slumped. Shiro was immediately there, big hands around his forearms. “He wasn’t like this before. I didn’t know… I guess… I don’t really know him that well.”

Shiro sat him down on the bed, his hands moving up and down his arms, trying to soothe him. It was comforting, but Lance had grown tired of everyone tip toeing around him like he was made to break. “Lance… it’s not your fault.”

“But I should’ve been there. I should be preventing him from doing stupid stuff. Talk some sense out of him. I’m still his son!”

“You are, and you’re the most perfect son he could’ve even dreamt of.” Shiro said quietly, smiling up at him.

Lance thought about his older brother and couldn’t suppress a scoff. Shiro noticed it and frowned.

“At least you’re perfect. For me.”

It melted something in his chest. He wanted to slump forward, wrap his arms around Shiro and pull him tighter to him, but a newfound feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach, stopping him from doing just that. “Your dad… he knows, doesn’t he?”

Something dark inhabited Shiro’s expression, causing a shudder to ran through Lance’s spine. “Doesn’t matter. It’s your father’s case, not yours.”

“It does matter! Now there’s nothing stopping him from… from – “ Shiro stood up before Lance could even finish his sentence. Something akin to fear crawled against his skin, raising goosebumps all around his body. Could Shiro be tired of his constant whining? Is he leaving?

As Lance stood up in mild panic, Shiro was already done rummaging through his drawer, and now coming back with a black-colored tiny box in his hand. Lance blinked at him, and then at Shiro. Shiro stopped in front of him before dropping on one knee, taking Lance’s right hand in his. Then he pulled out a blue wristwatch – a blue _Rolex_ watch, Lance noticed with a start, and start wrapping it around Lance’s slim wrist. Its body was navy blue and the evocative blue dial reflected the changing color of the ocean as he lifted his wrist and stared down in awe.

“It’s called the Deepsea D-Blue.” Shiro explained, once he got back on his feet. He was wearing a warm smile, eyes trained on the Rolex. “From the name itself you could probably tell that it’s extremely water resistant.”

“I – um…” With delicate fingers, Lance touched the glass, fingertips gliding against the smooth surface of the watch like he was afraid it would break. It was cold. “It’s really pretty.”

“And you can bring it to the pool with you, convenient right?”

“Shiro, please don’t tell me you bought me _this_ just because I happen to like to swim. This is for professional divers!”

“No.” Shiro pulled Lance’s hand, kissing his knuckle softly. “I bought it ‘cause it matches your eyes.”

Lance couldn’t really stop the smile on his face. Or the really fond eyeroll he shot at his husband. “Sap.” He snorted.

“A sap for you.” Shiro replied, grabbing his waist and pulling them snug together. “Now, stop worrying so much about my family, alright? Leave them all to me. I won’t let anything happen to us – to you. You just sit down and enjoy the food, because my mother is a really good cook.”

Lance nodded firmly.

“And as for your father… we figure it out together, okay? Don’t go through it alone. Would it help if I come to your house with you?”

“Um, yeah. I’d like that.” Lance nodded again, meekly this time. There was a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

“Good.” Shiro said, before kissing him deeply in the mouth. When they pulled away it was with a wet sound. “I love you. You look really good tonight.”

Lance grinned, stepping away from Shiro’s hold a little breathless. “I know.”

Shiro stopped halfway of unbuttoning his shirt as he threw Lance a questioning look. “Which one? The I love you or that you look good?”

Lance eyes flicked to the flash of skin on Shiro’s chest, before settling back on his husband’s face, fingers resting against his chin as he answered. “Both. And also, this is cute and all but I usually wear my watch on my left hand.” He unclasped the Rolex, gave Shiro one last flirty smile before disappearing behind the door and making his way downstairs.

 

Even with the talk, Lance couldn’t help to be nervous. He was just human, after all. Human who was about to enter the lair of the lions, it seemed. Shiro was worried himself, if the way he kept on tugging on his shirt collars indicated anything. He was never this fidgety, it was almost endearing. He checked his phone every three minutes en route to the Shirogane mansion, but his notifications remained empty. He’d tried to call his mother, his siblings, leaving voice mails here and there but none of them had yet to contact him back. Shiro turned off the radio when it began to broadcast the news. It was quiet inside the car, with the horrible traffic at its peak point, but the way Shiro’s hand squeezed his tightly was enough to ground and keep him in check.

They arrived an hour late no thanks to the gridlock, and Shiro kept on pulling and fixing his collars it was a bit unbearable to watch. Lance fixed it for him and held his hand to stop his nervous habit.

His family lived in a mansion, bigger than Lance’s house, with a yard that goes on for miles. The hallways were long, dimly lit by low hanging chandeliers made of crystals. Servants were bustling around the places, running in and out the many doorways inside the house. Lance’s thought drifted back to the movie Crazy Rich Asians. Huh.

Shiro’s mother greeted them first. She was a beautiful Beta with greying hair, a little on the short side but not as small as Lance’s mother. She had wrinkles underneath her eyes whenever she smiled. And she smiled a lot. Probably a lot more than the rest of Shiro’s family in a year, he thought with a quiet snort.

They were led to this big dining room that smelt oddly like roasted chicken. It made his stomach growled in anticipation. Lance faked a cough to hide the obvious sound.

Or, he tried to, anyway. Shiro’s sister, Ritsuko Shirogane, rolled her eyes in the most obnoxious way possible, blowing air out of her nose. His ears burnt. So unbecoming.

Shiro pulled the dining chair for him and he sat down straight, hands curling on top of his thighs. It was unnerving to sit still in a room filled with Alphas. Prime alpha, _his_ alpha, and even alphas servants. Ayaka’s – Shiro’s mother – presence was a bit calming, somehow. The only beta he could recognize in the room. (God, he was thankful Shiro’s older brother wasn’t here. He was the one who was so explicitly threatening.)

Shiro sat down next to him, right across of his sister who kept giving him uncomfortable look. His father joined them a while later, entering the room with his head held high, steps confident and unhurried. After that the servants began serving them the appetizers; a plate of Pâté De Foie Gras and crudités. Lance stared, fingers curled against his fork. He couldn’t eat Foie Gras. But everyone in the room was staring at him expectantly, like they were waiting for _him_.

Lance swallowed. Shiro let out a comforting scent as he began to eat.

“So how are you, Lance?” Shiro father asked, somewhere in the middle of the main course. Lance tensed immediately, straightening his back.

“I’m good, thank you, Mr. Shirogane sir.” He said. “And thank you for inviting me, this – this is the best sushi I’ve ever had,”

“I’m glad my wife’s cooking is to your liking.”

Lance nodded. His smile was tense.

“How’s your family?”

God, he knew it. He knew this would come. “Um.” He began, feeling Shiro’s hand linked with his underneath the table. “I haven’t… haven’t been in touch…”

“Is that so? Any plan of going anywhere for thanksgiving this year?”

Lance ducked his head to look at Shiro. He gave him a smile. “Not that I know of…”

Shiro brushed his fingers against Lance’s knuckles as he said, “Mom and dad planned on going back to Japan for thanksgiving and Christmas – “

“Really unfortunate, what happened to your dad, huh?” Ritsuko sprang in, tilting her head to the said, her smile calculating, never catching her eyes. Lance gulped and looked down to his and Shiro’s joined hands.

“I mean… I didn’t even know before today,” He tried quietly. Shiro tightened his grip, his alpha pheromone trying to calm him down. Lance held it in his own, feeling his skin burn beneath his.

“But you’re the senator’s son, aren’t you?” She asked again, leaning forward this time. “Do you really believe he did it? Someone like him, stooping that low?”

Lance’s head snapped up, his anger flaring at the comment.

“Ritsuko.” Shiro snarled. He then said something in Japanese, too fast for Lance to make up the words, but from the tone alone he knew it wasn’t nice. His sister narrowed his eyes at him but said nothing more as she leaned back into her chair.

Shiro’s mother cleared her throat, breaking the tension. “I hope it’s settled quickly.” And then she added, “Whatever the outcome is,”

Lance couldn’t agree more.

 

There was a beautiful Japanese-themed garden in the middle of the mansion. To the side of the porch was a small pond. A round, serpentine pool, damming up the rest of the stream. The banks were overgrown with tall grasses and from time to time the sound of fish breaking the surface could be heard. Spaced out along the porch underneath the lazy moonlight, stood Lance, tightlipped, eyes focused into the cloudy water.

When Shiro came stopping right next to him, he immediately leaned against him, completely thoughtless. The alpha pulled him closer, arm around his shoulders, looked down and gazed at him with the most sorrowful grey eyes.

“I’m worried.” Lance said into the night. He really didn’t need to say anymore; Shiro understood completely. He placed a kiss to the side of his head before his father summoned him, leaving him alone again. At least, until he felt a presence behind him, looming, but not threatening as alphas were. Her scent was dull, a little muted in contrast to the rest of her family.

“Lance,” She started, voice level and filled with grace. Lance turned around to look at her in the eyes. “Thank you for taking care of Takashi.”

He rubbed his arm, feigning a small grin. “It’s really nothing…”

“He’s really a handful, isn’t he?” She said. “Sometimes he’s not himself and that could be a lot to handle.”

Lance pulled his feature into a frown, something in that phrasing made him want to puke. “That’s not – “

“But I love him.” She continued, looking straight into the garden, still with her calm demeanor. “He’s my only son, after all.”

Lance made a confused noise, making her chuckle.

“He didn’t tell you, did he? Ritsuko and Takahiro were never really mine.”

Lance shook his head no.

“To be blunt, my husband and… his previous mate didn’t have that good of a relationship. Both are stubborn-headed alphas, and well, it didn’t work out. Fortunately, for me, of course.”

“Oh yeah?” Lance stepped closer now, a little curious, a little wary to hear something he wasn’t really supposed to.

“Yeah. Takashi was born immediately after we got married. He was such a sweet boy, smart, diligent, obedient. He knew his place, but he was never aggressive like his siblings. I guess it had something to do with being born to a beta like me?”

“Maybe.” Lance said.

“But we broke him.”

Ayaka looked remorseful. She pulled out a cigarette and a lighter out of nowhere and began lighting it. It smelled like the brand Shiro used sometimes. Even if he never smokes in front of him, he could tell from the scent.

“I knew something was up but I didn’t… I listened to my husband. Because that’s what a good mate does. I listened to him. And then I almost lost my son.” She blew out a smoke. It passed on quickly with the cold wind. She looked like she’d said everything she wanted to say; lifting a weight off her shoulders, but how Lance was supposed to take her seriously? He had no idea.

“What? Are you telling me you _knew_ the abduction was going to happen?”

Her expression was hurt. There were lines under her eyes, the sides of her lips. She looked tired. “Not exactly. He was my son. I would stop him if I knew how horrible everything was.”

“But you didn’t!” Lance bristled, raising his arms before he became conscious, and then folding them in front of him. “I – I can’t believe it all happened because – “

“It’s – “

“Are you going to tell me it’s not your fault?”

“It’s either him or his brother.” She said calmly.

 _This family is fucked up_ was all he wanted to say but he clammed up, hands curling into fists. He could feel a telltale of anger in the surface of his mind, but he held it in, suppressing as much as he could. “So you risked your only son?”

“I didn’t want to risk anyone. Takahiro was my son too.”

“He was young! He’s traumatized!” Lance shouted now, nails digging into his skin. “I can’t believe – why are you telling me this?!”

“Because I know Takashi must’ve told you… about what he did. And how it changed him.”

Lance blinked in disbelief.

“I love him.”

“Yeah, I heard you the first time.” _Doesn’t change the fact that you fucked up – you all did._

She sighed. “And I know you do too. So I know you won’t tell Takashi about this conversation. You’re a smart boy, Lance.”

Lance coiled up, lowering his brows, heart might jump out of his chest with how quick it was beating.

“After everything I only wanted the best for him. I know my husband would want that too. He will have a great future. Safe, secured. I won’t let anything interfere with my plan for him.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, her smile resigned, sending a shiver down his arms. “You’ve been good, Lance. You’ve taken care of him greatly. I know he’s happy. But it’s not enough.”

Lance swallowed around the dryness of his throat. “You want me out of his life,” it wasn’t phrased like a question, like it should’ve been.

She frowned. She didn’t answer, didn’t deny.

“That’s fucked up.”

.

.

.

.

“That’s fucked up. You were the one who ruined him. And then suddenly everything is my fault? You probably think that what my father did was also my fault, huh? Was me being born also at fault too?”

.

.

.

.

Lance knew he was oozing uneasiness the entire time. That was why Shiro had this dark scowl on his face as he ushered them out of the mansion in no time. That was why Shiro was gripping the steering wheel like he could rip it apart without even trying. He smoked the entire way home. The smell reminded him of his conversation with Ayaka. It made him nauseous.

It took him a while to realize they weren’t on the right road to go home. They drove through a different neighborhood, passed a few entertainment buildings until Shiro pulled up at the side of the road.

He pulled up in front of a cinema. The glimmering light, catching against the car’s front window was blinding. Shiro got out first, rounding the car to open up his door, reaching for his hand which Lance gladly accept. He pulled him up into his arms, breathing in his scent, kissing his temple, trying to calm down the spike of his scent. It worked, mainly because Lance was so far gone for this guy.

They bought tickets to whatever was playing at the moment, entering the theater in the nick of time, leaving trail of falling popcorns behind them.

Shiro had chosen a seat way in the back, where they will have privacy, even though it was almost empty at the time. He scooted closer to Lance, putting an arm around him protectively.

It was warm at first, before it turned cold. Lance couldn’t really focus on the movie. But he kept looking straight at the screen, even though he could feel Shiro’s eyes on him a few times.

“Why are we married in the first place?” he said in a whisper, eyes still trained on the nothingness across of him.

It took a few seconds before Shiro answered, voice low and calming, tucking Lance’s head under his chin. “Because I wasn’t ready to let go of you just yet.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so much drama, right? might as well call this the voltron soap opera. god, it feels like i'm writing a telenovela script lmao


	14. Takashi II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> too short to consider as a double update xp

He knew about him long before they were properly introduced. His family had hired a private investigator just for this sake. Of course, he was opposed to the act, but there was no telling what to do to his father.

Lance McClain was the omega son of the state’s current senator, young and energetic and absolutely _breathtaking_. Shiro could listed all the things he knew about him but it wouldn't be proper so he won’t.

His sister hated the fact that Lance was an omega. “I am opposed to this.” She said, raising her hand.

“Yes, you made that clear, Ritsuko. A few times, actually.”

She shrugged. “I just feel like my opinion was disregarded.”

Shiro watched the scattered papers and photographs on the tabletop. “Is this really necessary though? Doesn’t look too legal to me.”

“Oh, it’s legal alright.” His brother chuckled. “Americans are weird.”

“If we have the Senate on our side, I’m sure it will be beneficial.” His father said. It was all business with him. Business this, business that.

“Whatever. His numbers don’t add up, and he had a few cases on him, but whatever! Just don’t come back to me when all of _this_ ,” she gestured at the inspection reports, “come around and bite you all in the ass.”

Shiro didn’t really care about that, really. Didn’t particularly pay any attention about the McClains, except for one boy.

The boy who he had met on his way home, the boy who held an umbrella to shelter an ugly stray cat from the rain on the side of the road.

The boy who he couldn’t wait to finally meet again.

.

.

.

Shiro had seen the box a few times on his way back to work. Had heard the meowing too. The cat was ugly, fur matted together with dirt, face full of scars and it was too boney. No one would want take it home.

Then one day, on a cold rainy day, he was there. Crouched down, his back was all wet – drenched from where the umbrella didn’t really reach him. Shiro stopped behind him.

“Are you… okay?” he began tentatively.

The boy didn’t look up, still with his back to Shiro when he answered. “It’s just rain.”

“You’ll catch a cold if you stayed like that.”

“She’s too small to take care of herself.” The boy said instead.

Shiro shook his head and sighed, walking right by him when he caught the muted, delicious scent. It was faint, but it was there. Begging to be noticed. When Shiro turned around his view was blocked by the pale baby blue umbrella, and he decided to just leave it at that.

 

The next day the boy was there again. It was sweltering hot outside. He was sweating a lot. Oh, and he brought cat foods with him this time. He stood at the same place he did last time. Facing the boy’s back.

“The cat’s been here for as long as I can remember. I’m surprised it’s still alive at all.” He said, trying to start a conversation. He didn’t know why he did that.

The boy barely turned around this time, fixing him a glare. He had a sharp nose, perfectly tanned skin and long eyelashes. “Unless you have something nice to say, leave us alone.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He scratched his cheek. “Wasn’t supposed to come out like that…”

He heard the boy’s stomach rumbling. Neither of them said anything.

Shiro left to go buy a hotdog in the nearest stall. He placed it down right next the boy, before going back to his place. He heard a quiet muttered thanks and saw his ears turned red. He didn’t understand why he think it was cute.

“Why don’t you take it home with you then?”

“If I could, I would. But I’m allergic to cats, and so are my younger siblings. Miranda is going to kill me.”

“Oh.”

“It sucks when you can’t do anything, huh.”

Shiro took a look at his watch. Lunch break was almost over. “Yeah.”

When neither of them speaks, he walked passed him again.

 

It was raining again on Wednesday, and the boy was there again, holding an umbrella for the kitten.

“You should bring two umbrellas, that way you won’t be drenched.”

“Then I’d look like a fool.”

 _You already_ , but Shiro stopped that train of thought. Watching the boy had become a habit now, one that he didn’t know why he was so attached to. The boy was oddly neutral – Shiro couldn’t tell whether he was an alpha, or a beta. Perhaps a beta, from the really suppressed scent.

“You know what you’re doing is futile, right?”

“Then why don’t you do anything about it since you’re so great huh? Stop making annoying remarks at what I do! I didn’t see you do anything that remarkable either!”

Shiro was taken aback. No one, outside of his family, had ever raise their voice on him. it was both unnerving and fascinating.

The boy balanced the umbrella on his shoulder and picked up the kitten. “Just because she’s ugly and nobody wants her doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve another chance.” He said, cooing at the dirty kitten on his arms. Not that Shiro could see it clearly, anyway. “It just means she’s been through a lot and she needs more attention.”

Shiro clasped the handle of his own umbrella tightly.

“I bet with a little cleaning and love she could be as beautiful as a fat house cat. Don’t you think so too, baby?”

“Um.” It took Shiro a while to realize to boy was talking to the cat.

Shiro watched as the boy took out a small, fluffy looking towel and wrapped it around the kitten.

“Do you really mean that?” Shiro found himself asking.

The boy placed the kitten back into the box, placing his umbrella down so it shielded the feline from the rain. Then he stood up, patted his thighs, totally uncaring about the way the rain ran through his body like a waterfall. “Of course!” he said with a wide smile. He was glowing, his hair was matted against his nape, his forehead, and he shouldn’t look so adorable being soaked to the bone like that but Shiro thought otherwise.

“Lance!!”

A voice pulled both their attention and Shiro unwillingly whipped his head to the side to find someone running in their direction, waving a hand. It was hard to see in this rain.

“Oh shit,” the boy muttered, and without saying anything else, ran to the direction of the voice.

“Wait! Your umbrella!” Shiro yelled, but his voice was engulfed by the sound of pouring rain.

 

The next day the kitten was gone. The baby blue umbrella was still in attendance, hiding the box from the glaring noon sunlight.

Shiro watched the wind blew away scattering leaves, standing still at the same spot as he always did and thought he must’ve also left something important there, at the empty box by the side of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flashback chapter! surprise!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really sorry for the slow update TT___TTT i'm still working on this i swear

“Are you mad at me?”

Lance lifted his head. After a while he finally stopped glaring down at the bright red Christmas ornament in his hand was looking at Shiro solemnly. His lips were set in a worried line and his grey eyes looked dull.

“What are you talking about?” Lance snorted, trying to lighten up the mood.

“You uh… ever since we got back from my parents you’ve been awfully quiet. I know they upset you because I’m upset too. they were disrespectful and they shouldn’t have… I… I’m really sorry. I should know better than to bring you there.” Shiro said in a wobbly voice, pinching his eyes shut.

Lance thought about his own family and what they were doing to him right now. It wasn’t right that Shiro was the one apologizing when he hadn’t done anything wrong. Without thinking, he shook his head roughly. “It’s not your fault.”

“I could’ve said something. Anything.”

“You pulled me out of the house angrily. I think that’s saying something.” he gave Shiro a lopsided grin.

But Shiro didn’t look relieved. Maybe he could explain that he was just feeling a little overwhelmed and just needed to sit down for a minute. “I’m not mad at you. or anyone, really.”

Shiro glanced up at him and sighed. “I know you have a lot on your mind right now. But I wish you would confide in me. I’d love to take care of you – I’m all yours, Lance.”

“For how long?” He whispered, quiet enough that if Shiro wasn’t standing so close to him, he wouldn’t have heard. But he did, and Shiro’s head jerked upward.

Lance was tongue-tied and embarrassed for letting the words slipped out of his mouth. He cleared his throat and stared at Shiro. “I mean – “

But Shiro stepped closer to his space, wounded his arms around his waists and Lance was stuck, rooted to the spot. “Please don’t say that,” he said, cutting him off.

Lance grew restless, and for some reason Lance felt better about everything when he was next to Shiro. Like there was anything he could do to protect them. “So what am I supposed to say?” he sighed. Weary. He ignored the curious glances thrown at them by the nearby shoppers. “Dad’s pretrial is next Thursday. They’re going to name him a suspect by then, and then what?”

“Hey, come on.” Shiro cupped his face, tilting his head up to meet him. “You’re going to have to put some trust in him. You trust him, right?”

Lance averted his eyes. “I don’t know.” He said, already feeling defeated. “I don’t know what to trust anymore. I don’t even want to come next Thursday.”

“Lance…”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure no one wanted an omega in the courtroom,” Lance tried to give Shiro a brave playful smile, but had to settle for an awkward face twitch. Then he peeled himself off, bringing his attention once more to the rack of bright, colorful Christmas ornaments. It was supposed to be his first Christmas outside of his own house, there was no way he was going to mess it up. “So I was going to go with the usual red and gold, but the black and purple ones are really cool and flashy, make everything super regal and expensive and stuff. What do you think?”

Shiro was still rooted to his spot with a frown etched on his face. Lance blew out a breath before reaching out, hooking his elbow around Shiro’s.

“Come on, stud. Work with me. I need our first Christmas together to be tremendous. I wanna make our neighbors jealous. I wanna make _Allura_ jealous. Or Keith, if that gremlin celebrates Christmas too which is unlikely,”

Shiro bit down his lips, stifling the small smile that threatened to spread across his lips. Lance’s shoulders slumped in victory. “The black and purple ones look nice,” He said. Lance threw his fist pump in the air.

“Yes! I know you have a great taste.” He said. “I mean, you chose me after all,”

“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Shiro grinned.

Lance pouted, wrinkling his nose at Shiro teasingly. Shiro booped his nose with a smile, and grabbed a golden line of tinsel down the basket. “And what about this one?”

Rubbing his thumb down his chin in a thoughtful manner, Lance nodded his head gallantly. “It could work.”

Shiro smiled, his hand inching down Lance’s to lace their fingers together as Lance pulled him down the aisle. They stopped every now and then, mostly Lance, inspecting on some scented candles and fresh poinsettias. He pulled on multiple strings of lights and somehow got them stuck around his arm, which in turn made Shiro laughed a little too loud for the tiny, quiet store.

When Lance fished out a pair of tiny red stockings, he gave the bigger one to Shiro, and kept the small one for him. But then to his surprise, Shiro reached out for another one, smaller than Lance’s, with soft baby blue color.

“We have enough, don’t we?” Lance asked. But Shiro merely looked at him, softly, the tip of his nose tinted red from the cold.

“Yeah, but it’s never too early for a little preparing,” Shiro muttered, brushing his fingers against Lance’s cheek. “I love you.”

Lance watched the slightest movement of his eyes as Shiro regarded him. His insides felt like they were burning, like he’d swallowed something hot. The pounding of his heart grew so loud that it filled his ears, blocking out the rest of the world. “Takashi…”

The heat inside of him grew stronger. They were closed enough now that if Lance just tilted his chin a little bit he could feel Shiro’s breath against his lips.

A little girl bumped into him and he stumbled forward, Shiro catching him against his chest. “Ugh – “

“Sorry mister!” The child said, rubbing the back of her tiny head before running back to her siblings.

Lance blinked, and when his eyes settled back on Shiro, he had to stifle a laugh.

“Let’s finish our shopping and hurry back home, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,”

 

* * *

 

 

The sun still hadn’t risen, but it was getting closer. He never woke up this early voluntarily, and on Shiro’s day off too. He opened his eyes and peered down at Shiro curled up next to him. Smooth faced, mouth opened as he snored; a quiet little voice that Lance could never get tired of. He trailed his finger down the cut across his nose. The fear that he would never experience a tranquil morning like this ever again devoured him whole the last week after the disaster dinner. That Shiro would still be there, within an arm reach, but he won’t belong to Lance anymore.

But he was there, breathing into Lance’s skin, face pressed into his chest.

He brought up his hands and cradled him close, cupping the back of his neck as he placed soft kisses down his face. Once, twice, on his cheek, his nose, and once more on his forehead, before reaching for his lips.

Shiro groaned, but kept his eyes closed. He can be a deep sleeper on a nightmare-less night.

Lance lifted the comforter and his eyes flicked down to Shiro’s thighs, the swell of his hips and the rise and fall of his abs. He dipped his hand lower then, reaching down to drag his palm down his own stomach. He shifted slowly, hefting up one of his knees higher up his body to reach his own cock as he kissed Shiro again. He pumped himself, arching and squirming and panted down against Shiro’s lips. One of his hands roamed Shiro’s pecs, too lost in his own pleasure to worry about keeping his voice down.

Shiro blinked awake, voice hoarse and heavy with sleep. “Lance…? Are you serious right now?”

“Can’t help it,” Lance gasped, one hand still working himself to completion.

Then Shiro’s hands were on him, wrapping around his, cupping the swell of his ass to bring them closer together. He kissed him back now, firm and moist.

“Good morning to you too,” Shiro said dryly, but even he couldn’t hide the excitement that was currently poking Lance in the thigh. He twisted his wrist and Lance let out a soft squeak in his throat when Shiro rubbed his slit.

“Morning, ah, mhm, ready for breakfast yet, love?”

“I’d appreciate more sleep but well,” Shiro whispered before pulling off completely, adoring the whine of frustration Lance let out when he slipped his hand away. “But what a man’s gotta do, right?”

With a quick work of hand he flipped Lance to lay on his stomach, caught his hips and lifting them up the bed. He kissed down his spine, Lance’s legs widening urgently.

“I missed you,” Lance whined.

“I’m right here baby,” he murmured against his nape, giving wet, open-mouthed kisses but never biting too hard to leave marks.

“Inside. Need you inside,” Lance wailed, the sound ringing in Shiro’s ears like a command, clear and unyielding. It gave him an immense shudder, like the one before an upcoming orgasm. Lance has that kind of power on him.

“Needy,” Shiro said, but then no more words were said, there was no need to. Lance was hot and wet and relaxed for him as he pushed as deep as he can, and then more, shoving him down flat to the mattress. “How are you still so loose?”

Lance mewled, toes curling as he pushed back against his husband hard. “My body just remembered it, ah, your – your shape,”

And then he gasped, loud and trembling as Shiro began to move, pulling himself out until only the head was left inside of Lance and rammed into him hard. He watched as Lance’s body bounced with his movements, with his own pathetic attempt to push himself back against Shiro.

Shiro’s hands roamed across his thighs, his stomach, gripping and kneading and leaving marks. He pulled Lance closer to him into each deep thrust, his jaws locked to keep his own moan from falling out.

Lance felt an arm across his chest and then he was being lifted up to stand on his knees, his ass flush to Shiro’s laps. He couldn’t suppress the filthy moan as Shiro reached the deepest part of him, fingers clawing on every inch of skin he could find.

Shiro went slower this time, wrapping his arm around Lance’s chest, driving deep but shallow. Lance gasped each time, sounding like the air had been punched out of him with every cry of his voice.

“Keep it up,” Lance said. His voice was strangled, thick with lust and arousal.

“Yeah? Is it good, baby?” Shiro kissed at the skin under his jaw. “You kept me up all night yesterday. I think I can hold up for a little bit more,”

Lance didn’t answer, couldn’t answer, not with the telltale of heat about to explode inside of his belly. He took a shuddering breath, bouncing up and then down to match his pace with Shiro’s deep thrusts, and nodded.

And Lance – Lance lost all sense of time and direction, with the way Shiro fucking into him so good, giving him two orgasms that he was still pulsing and trembling with the aftermath even after Shiro came, buried to the hilt inside of him. It was wet and warm, igniting a spark deep within him. Lance came with him – a dry orgasm, mouth opened in a noiseless scream.

They both toppled down to the mattress, breaths heavy from the extortion. Shiro’s hand found Lance’s own, curling their fingers together.

Lance felt all kind of warm and fulfillment that he might have let out a satisfied chirp, a little on the unconscious side.

“ _Fuck_ , I don’t think I can have any more sex in a week,” Shiro said, out of breath.

Lance scoffed from right next to him. “Old man,”

“Hm?” Shiro pushed himself up with his elbows around Lance’s head. “What did you just call me?”

“You can’t keep up with me,” Lance breathed out, a teasing smile on his lips. “Cause you’re old,”

Shiro narrowed his eyes at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Is that a challenge?”

“I – wha – no?” Shiro made a show of licking his own lips, to Lance’s surprise, and slowly descended down his body, leaving a trail of soft kisses down his skin. “Shiro, what – “

He felt Shiro’s hands drifting down between his legs - one smooth and supple and the other one a little on the rough side – to spread his cheeks apart. Lance’s breath hitched in his throat, breath coming out shaky. Shiro caught an eyeful of Lance’s hole, where it was red and wet with slick and his own cum.

Lance swallowed hard, struck with the knowledge that he knew what Shiro was trying to prove and even though his whole body was still shaking with overstimulation, he wasn't completely opposed to it.

Shiro slid his hands up Lance’s thighs, lifting them up to rest on his shoulders. He ducked down, one finger slipping easily inside Lance for easier access as he licked a straight line around his rim to his sternum.

Lance’s eyes slip shut and he tipped his head back against the pillow. He let out a weak, mewling sounds, toes curling and uncurling against the sheet.

Shiro ran his tongue over the opening before giving a harder press to dive inside. He tasted himself, along with the sweetness that is Lance, his omega pheromone strong and soothing all at once. The noises Lance made as he picked up the pace and started sucking was worth the cramp in his jaws.

It didn’t take long for Lance to start crying and mumbling apologies, with him already being sensitive from the night before. With a few weak pumps Shiro managed to get him off, although nothing came out, just Lance silently screaming with his hips arching off the bed.

His omega was in a blissful daze when Shiro climbed back up, brushing the hair and sweat away from his face. His eyes focused on nothing at all, mouth parted as he breathed loudly.

“You were saying?” Shiro said smugly, although there was a hint of placidity there too.  

“Okay. God. Sorry I ever doubted you.” Lance wheezed. “Jesus.”

“Just Takashi is fine.”

Lance swatted him on the nose and they both laughed. When they calmed down, there was this stillness in the air that didn’t go unnoticed. Shiro was looking down at him with this softness in his eyes, but at the same time they looked somber.

“I love you.” He said, quiet, like a secret.

Lance tilted his head sideways, his brown hair disheveled by the sheet. “I know. I heard you the first time.”

And then Shiro was holding him. His big hands around his face, his grip firm but light as a silk sash. “I know you’re scared…” he trailed off, eyebrows furrowed. Lance wanted so badly to smooth his finger against his forehead to lessen the frown.

Of course he was scared. Ever since he was little there was almost nothing everlasting in his life. Now that he had found it, people are trying to break them up and leave him to die. He was scared. “I’m not. With you. Maybe, I would, if I’m left alone for so long.”

Shiro’s eyes were so distant as he considered Lance’s answer. He cupped his hands more tightly around him, until he could breathe in his breath, could smell his fear on his.

“Takashi… baby, what’s wrong?” He asked. His voice was thin, a whisper that could easily be canceled out by the groaning of wind outside.

Shiro bit his own lips, averting his eyes to the side. Lance sighed softly, using his thumb to free his bottom lip and caressed his face.

“Shiro… what did they tell you?”

He shook his head and pressed their foreheads together. As he calmed his breath down, Lance worked his hand across his back, rubbing soothingly. Shiro took one last deep breath before opening his mouth, “They want me to come back home to Japan with them,”

Shiro’s voice was shaking against his ear. “Oh…”

“I don’t think they will ever let me go back here I –“ he took one good look at Lance before continuing, “I’m not going with them. I’m done with following what they want me to do, alright?”

Lance chewed on his bottom lip. “Okay.”

“Believe me Lance, I can make this work.”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance finally picked up his phone, after fiddling with it for almost an hour. He covered his eyes with his hand, bit down his lips, and clicked dial.

The other side picked up almost immediately.

“Hey…” He began, sounding a little clipped because of his nerve.

“ _Oh, Lance, sweetheart, how are you, my boy?”_ His mother sounded weary. He clenched his fist to stifle the pang in his heart.

“I’m… good. Fine. Just peachy. How are you? How’s… dad? everyone?”

_“You father is… coping. But he’ll be fine. Sorry for worrying you, my love.”_

Lance’s grip on his phone tightened. He wasn’t worried. Not about them. He was mostly worried about himself, about Shiro, and that was the problem. “I um, I heard the news.”

“ _Oh… The news… yes,”_

“Uh… so when’s the next trial? Do you uh, want me to come? O-Or I can come by the house, if you want…”

“ _Don’t worry about that, son. You enjoy your time there. The… situation around the house has been… unwelcoming lately_.” She whispered her last few words, like she was afraid something, _someone_ might catch on to her.

He was silent, for a while. His mother didn’t seem to be to keen on talking either. It was awkward, to say the least. He hadn’t been home for quite some time, and there was already a strain in his relationship with the rest of his family members. “So… what they said… is it true?”

Mother paused for a weird amount of time before finally answering, “ _No, darling. Your dad is innocent. It’s just – we’re – we’re trying our best here,”_

“Then… please reach out to me for some follow up, okay? I’m worried, mama,”

“[ _I’m really sorry for putting you through this, my son. Please have a good night sleep.]”_

 _“_ [Good night mama. Love you.]”

 

 _Click_.

 

* * *

 

 

His father didn’t show up on his next trial. He just completely… disappeared. Neither one of Lance’s calls to his family went through, not even to Lucy. All she left him was a text saying _sorry, please don’t come home for a while, sorry sorry sorry_.

Lance completely lost his mind over his younger brother – he couldn’t believe his family would put little Jake through all that shit. He was dying here, and he wasn’t even there in the first place. There was nothing he could do.

Sometimes he would drive down to his house and just parked down along the corner, his hands shaking. What if the moment he stepped inside he’d lose everything he built up until today? He thought of Shiro, of how much he was willing to throw away everything just for the sake of being with him and he shook his head. He drove away without getting out of the car every time.

 

* * *

 

 

On Saturday, they issued a warrant to arrest Senator Manfred Mcclain. The feds went to his house on Saturday night to arrest him, but they were met by only his wife, his oldest daughter and lawyer.

The senator’s whereabouts remain unknown as of Sunday morning.

The antigraft commission had urged the senator to turn himself within 24 hours, saying that he might be put on a wanted list soon.

Lance watched all of it through the screen, _all of it_ , every single detail, until his whole mind went numb. Shiro was trying his best to cheer him up, but he wasn’t sure he could feel anything anymore. News, words, pictures have been circulating around the internet about his family, mostly his dad, and Lance was told by Shiro to stay at home and not go anywhere.

Shiro had bags under his eyes, his movement sluggish from the lack of rest. He was getting pressure from his end too, Lance knew it all too well. He failed at keeping Shiro’s nightmare at bay because now he was too, having nightmares.

He thought that perhaps, there was no escaping this. (no matter how many times Shiro kept whispering softly to him, “ _it’ll pass_ ,”)

 

* * *

 

 

“You!” Ritsuko barged in the front door, snarling at Lance with the full intensity of an enraged alpha. “You and your wretched pack, it’s all your fault!”

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, but he willed himself to stay calm and not cower, even when his hands were shaking like leaves in the wind. “Sorry?”

“I always know this isn’t going to work out. I’ve known from the first mention of his name!” She growled, her eyes ice cold.

Lance looked around, and neither of his workers seemed to want to get involved in whatever happening before them, so they all scurry back to the dining room. “What are you – “

“You and Takashi. You know our parents will eventually force you two apart right? Stop fighting it. Stop feeing wild ideas down Takashi’s throat, you omega whore,” She stepped into his space, index finger poking accusingly on his chest. Lance gasped at the insult, eyes widened in horror. “Your family was in a lot of debt to begin with. Do you even know that? It’s why your parents _begged_ my dad for this – whole engagement. A helping hand. And coincidentally our company is in need of as many political support as it could have, so he said, why not? But I was against it in the first place. Not only because of that stupid father of yours – you’re a _male_ omega. _Think_ about it. Takashi could do better than that. He could have a bright future even without you there clinging pathetically next to him.”

Lance gaped at her, eyes blinking repeatedly.

“But I think you two compliment each other in the right way, You, the unwanted omega child, and my baby brother, who lacked the will of an alpha with a crippling trauma he could never get over of,” she stepped back finally, folding her hands in front of her.

When Lance finally found his voice, it was strained and full of fury. “Excuse me? You come into my house and start talking shit about my family? About Shi – Takashi? Are you out of your mind?” he huffed, gritting his teeth to keep the edge on and not give in to his omega nature. Because she wasn’t Shiro, she didn’t have any effect on him. Shiro was his alpha and only him.

“You keep that tone and I’ll – “

“You’ll what?” Lance snapped. “You – why can’t you people just stop it. Why can’t you all just. Live a little. Fucking relax. Be a little like Shiro. You keep on belittling him – your own blood brother – while he’s probably worth more than your prissy ass.”

Lance wasn’t paying that much attention until Ritsuko had her palm fast against his cheek, the slapping sound echoing inside the empty room. “You little…”

Lance staggered back, holding one hand to the stinging red skin. “Get out,” he rasped, his heartbeat running wildly against his ribcage. It was the only sound he could hear in his ears. “Get out of _my_ house and don’t show your face here ever again before you apologize to Shiro.”

“I’m going to tell father and Takashi about this – “

“Tell me what?”

The two of them whipped their head around so fast to the source of the voice to find Shiro, at the front door, panting and looking disheveled.  He walked inside, slowly, like a lion stalking its prey, brushing his damp hair back from his face.

“Tell me what, Ritsuko?” He growled, setting Lance’s nerves alight with the intensity of his _anger_. It burnt right through him like fire flowing in his veins.

“Brother.” Ritsuko said, calmer this time, but the line of her back a little stiff.

Shiro walked over to Lance’s direction, reaching out to tilt his chin up. Lance immediately went rigid at the touch, his senses screamed danger. But Shiro merely inspected the swollen cheek, his glare cold and cutting. “Did she do this to you?”

“I, ah,” Lance’s breath hitched, so he swallowed around the lump in his throat. “It was – “

He could instantly feel the abrupt change of atmosphere, like someone had just poured a glass of ice cold water on him. It was the feeling of two irritated alphas fighting for dominance. His hands won’t stop trembling, so he hid them behind him.

“Did you do this?” Shiro turned away to face his sister, so Lance couldn’t exactly see his expression. But the tone of his voice was cold, clipped. Not at all like the Shiro he knew.

“He had it coming. Your pet has a nasty little mouth on him.” Ritsuko sneered. Playing on the edge of Shiro’s patience.

Shiro said nothing but clenched his hands into a fist.

“You are too attached, Takashi.” Ritsuko started, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. “You left your work unfinished, you talk back to father, and now you’re trying to pick a fight with me. It’s like you regressed back to your seventeen years old self with an insufferable crush. I always knew this whole engagement was a disaster waiting to happen, and now his father is a criminal running loose. I should’ve tried to convince father harder, back then.”

“What the hell are you talking about? It’s as if my duty is to _you_ and dad and work. I don’t even like my work,”

Ritsuko gaped at him, looking thoroughly offended. “Because it is, Takashi. Everything you have right now, you owe it to us – your family. Don’t you ever forget about that.”

Shiro sighed then, exasperated. He looked around for distraction, eyes settling on Lance’s for a split second with an unreadable expression before his shoulders droop down, like he was so done with everything. “I quit.”

Both Lance and Ritsuko jerked forward at that, eyes wide as saucers. “What?! Y-You can quit!! You’re – “

“I quit.” Shiro said again, this time with an air of finality. “Now get out of my house.”

“You… You can’t throw away your life’s work just for some scrawny omega whore –”

“Life’s work?” Shiro cut her off with a deep, guttural growl, eyes alight with fury. “You guys don’t even care about my wellbeing, moreover my life. As far as I’m concerned my real life began the moment I married Lance. Now get the fuck out, before I drag you by the hair.”

“How dare—”

Lance stepped in then, because Shiro was this close to losing his shit altogether and placed himself between the two angry alphas. “Wait, Shiro, she’s right, maybe you should talk it out –"

“ ** _You stay out of this, Lance!!”_**

Lance felt it deep within his bone. The words rang loud inside his head, threatening to split his head open, and his body moved as if on command. He sunk down to his knees, hands covering both his ears and showing his nape on display because his alpha, his alpha said so. His _alpha_ just used his voice on him, and he, an omega, had to listen to what his alpha needed.

_Submit submit submit._

The voice inside his head said.

 

It felt like hours until Lance finally got his bearings together, even though it was barely a second. His everything hurt. And then he heard Ritsuko’s laughter, booming throughout the giant room.

He lifted his head then, looking at Shiro with wide, fearful eyes, because Shiro… he… “You used your alpha voice on me,” He whimpered.

Shiro looked broken, like he had just realized what he’d done. His previous demeanor gone, then, replaced by unmistakable guilt. “Lance, I –”

But Lance was already on his feet, and he ran. He ran outside, away from the house, from Shiro, because the mere mention of his name sent a tremor down his spine. So he ran, draped himself over his car and hastily tried to unlock it with shaking hands.

When he finally got in he buried his face in his hands, breathing in shallow and short, unable to ease the spike of his heartbeat. He groaned and pressed his face into the steering wheel, calling up the deep pain of alpha command at the back of his head again. He knew about it. heard his father used it once, on his secretary. He’d always knew how harsh and painful it is on omegas, it’d always made him nervous. Feeling it firsthand had been grisly and unspeakable. He wanted to cry. Maybe he could let himself cry a little bit now, on his narrow car, alone.

But the universe wasn’t done testing him it seemed.

The moment Lance thought he had calmed himself down, his phone rang. It burnt a hole through his back pocket, so he pulled it out a little forcefully. The caller id was unknown.

Lance didn’t know what he expected of this unknown number calling him, but maybe not whatever this is.

“Mr. Mcclain? I need you in the hospital right now. Your father and his lawyer were involved in a car accident just now,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry. i hope this chapter makes up for the lateness. if it doesn't then i will work hard on the next ones TT__TT9  
> also this story is nearing the end. wow. i never thought i could write this much but here we are.  
> the next chapter is probably out when i'm back in my home country T^T im leaving japan, so i'm busy packing. see you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://lucrezia-dormentaire.tumblr.com)


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